A Treasured Legacy
by Jestana
Summary: Sequel to The Greatest Treasure of All, ten years have passed and Patrick shares the story of the treasure he's been looking for since then with his grandchildren. Even numbered chapters by Cielita!
1. A Treasure Story

**1****. A Treasure Story**

"Patrick, are you sure you're up to having visitors?" Dr. Emily Gates asked as she hovered over her husband. "I'm sure Ben and Abigail would understand if we asked them not to come."

He caught his wife's hand as she smoothed invisible wrinkles out of the afghan draped over his lap. "They would, yes, but Charlie, Will, and Abe would be very disappointed if they didn't get to see us."

"That's because they love your stories." Emily sat down beside her husband with an indulgent smile, resting her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh.

Patrick leaned his cheek against her hair with a sigh of his own. In the ten years of their second marriage, the pale gold tresses had gradually changed to pale silver, adding a certain regality to the natural beauty that had drawn him to her almost fifty years ago. "I learned it from my father. You remember how much he used to captivate Ben."

"I certainly do." She laughed softly, gently squeezing his hand. "If I remember correctly, I once told him I didn't want him filling _my_ son's head with fantastic stories of lost treasure."

He chuckled, returning the gentle squeeze. "And Dad said he was sharing the family legacy with _his_ grandson."

Emily sighed softly, turning sad for a moment. She'd genuinely liked John Adams Gates, but she'd hated the way his stories about the Templar Treasure had led Ben to search for it as well. That is, until he'd actually _found_ it. Then she'd regretted her harsh words on the subject. "I wish I could have apologized to him before he died."

"I'm sure he understood," Patrick murmured, kissing the top of her head. "You were hardly the only person who didn't believe us."

The doorbell rang at that moment, preventing Emily from thinking about her regrets any longer. She rose gracefully--if a trifle stiffly--to her feet, and pointed a finger at Patrick, who showed signs of attempting the same feat. "You stay put, Patrick Henry Gates. I'll bring them in here."

Turning to go to the door to answer it, she wryly mused, "If they don't get ahead of me first."

"Hello, Mom." Benjamin Franklin Gates greeted her with a crooked grin very like his father's. Gray had begun to thread through his dark brown hair, lending him a distinguished air, especially when he wore his glasses, which he did almost constantly now.

Next to him, Abigail had her hand on their daughter's shoulder, keeping her from darting into the house before she'd been invited in. The only sign that ten years had passed for her, too, were the laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. Her hair was still the same bright gold Emily remembered from their first meeting almost twenty years ago. "Hello, Emily."

"Hi, Grandma!" The two boys chorused, the older of the two holding on to his sister's hand.

Looking sulky, the girl added, "Hi, Grandma."

"Hello, Ben, Abigail, Charlie, Will, Abe." She opened her arms and the three children surged inside, almost overwhelming her with their hugs. "Grandpa is in the living room. Go say 'hi' to him."

Cheering, the three charged into the living room, where they clearly heard Patrick greet each of them. "Hello, Charlie. How's my girl?"

"I'm fine, Grandpa." Charlotte replied, sounding more cheerful now that she wasn't being held back.

Abigail shook her head fondly as she kissed Emily's cheek. "I have no idea what we're going to do when she reaches her teens."

"I've told you what we're going to do," Ben retorted, kissing Emily's other cheek. "We're going to lock her up in her room on her thirteenth birthday and not let her out until she's twenty-three."

His wife shook her head as they followed Emily to the living room. "Please. Even if I agreed--which I don't, by the way--you'd never follow through with it. A cute pout and a bat of her eyelashes and you'd be done for."

"Hey!" Ben tried to look offended, but the truth of the statement was undeniable. Abigail had to discipline Charlotte if she ever misbehaved because Ben was too lenient and they knew it.

When they entered the living room, they found ten-year-old Charlotte snuggled against her grandfather's side with ten-year-old William seated on the ottoman at Patrick's feet, six-year-old Abraham ensconced on his lap. Charlotte waved to them. "Hurry up, Mom, Dad! Grandpa's gonna tell us a treasure story!"

"I've heard this already, so I'll go get the cookies and milk," Emily told them as Ben and Abigail settled down on a nearby sofa.

With that, Emily left the others to enjoy the story. Patrick watched his wife go with fondness. She hadn't really slowed down at all and he had a feeling she never really _would_ slow down, unlike him. Banishing that thought, he returned his attention to his audience. "You all know about the War of 1812, right?"

"Yeah!" Charlotte blurted. "England didn't really think America was inda--" she paused, frowning fiercely as she struggled to pronounce the word correctly, "in-de-pen-dent, so America fought to show she really, really was independent."

Patrick exchanged a glance with his son and daughter-in-law, very amused by the succinct but fairly accurate version. "Yes, that's the War of 1812 in a nutshell."

"Grandpa?" Abraham tilted his sandy blond head curiously. "I don' see a nutshell anywhere."

The three adults were forced to stifle their laughter at the six-year-old's honest confusion. "It's a turn of phrase, Abe. I'll explain later."

"Otay." With that, Abraham snuggled against his brother and waited patiently for the rest of his grandpa's story.

Musing that Charlotte would have demanded the explanation then and there, Patrick continued, "Anyway, one of the last battles of the war was fought in New Orleans, led by General Andrew Jackson."

"He's on the twenty-dollar-bill, right?" William asked the question, blue eyes intent.

Patrick nodded, strongly reminded of Ben at that age. "Yes, he is. Anyway, the only reason he won the battle was because he had the help of a pirate named Jean Lafitte. And legends say that General Jackson and Captain Lafitte scuttled a ship carrying seven million dollars in gold. People searched for it everywhere, but couldn't find it."

"You did, though," Charlotte pointed out with admiration in her face. "Just like Dad found the Templar Treasure."

"With help from Uncle Riley," William reminded his twin.

She nodded, accepting the correction. "With Uncle Riley's help."

Their grandfather waited patiently as they reminded each other about their family history. When they were quiet, he continued, "Yes, I found the ship and it's currently being salvaged."

"Salvaged?" Abraham looked puzzled. "What's dat?"

Ben explained for his father. "When a ship is found underwater, divers go down there to retrieve the stuff that was on it."

"Like gold?" the little boy asked.

Ben ruffled his son's hair affectionately. "Yes, among other things."

Abraham, unmindful of the fact that his hair was now sticking up all over the place, turned to his grandfather. "Did you salvage any gold, Grandpa?"

"Not yet, but we haven't been salvaging the ship for that long, all things considered." Patrick reached out to smooth down Abraham's hair. "It could take many more years before any is found." Silently, he added, _If it's even there at all..._

"We'll help!" Charlotte offered with a determined look on her face.

Abigail spoke up firmly at that point. "Not until you're much older, Charlie."

"Why can't I help _now_?" Charlotte asked, her lower lip beginning to tremble, a sure sign that she was going to pout.

Emily entered the room at that point with the cookies and milk. "For one thing, you won't get to eat any of these cookies that I baked especially for your visit today."

"Oh." The tremble stopped as suddenly as it began. She'd always loved Emily's cookies.

Patrick tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. "For another, you need to know a lot more before you can go salvaging."

"Like what?" she demanded.

As he helped his mother place cookies on dessert plates and pass them around to everyone present, Ben explained, "Like how to dive and look for things that could be artifacts."

"Artifacts?" Charlotte asked, her mouth full of cookie. At a look from her mother, she swallowed and repeated herself. "Artifacts?"

Her father nodded, hiding a smile at the face Patrick made when his plate had only four cookies on it. "Yes, items that came from the ship rather than the ocean floor."

"I don't understand." She looked very confused now.

As he and Emily passed around glasses of milk, Ben told his daughter, "I tell you what. How about you come with me the next time I go to the site and you'll see what we do, exactly?"

"Yeah!" Charlotte positively lit up at that offer.

Abigail rested her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Before she does that, however, she's going to come with me to look at the artifacts that have already been recovered."

"May I come, too?" William asked, looking hopeful.

His parents exchanged a look and nodded. Ben answered for both of them. "Yes, you may come, too. And Abe if he wants."

"Yeah!"

***

A couple hours later, Emily closed the door behind their departing guests. She sighed and slumped against the door. She loved her family dearly, but all three of her grandchildren seemed to be nothing but bundles of rambunctious energy. If they managed to exhaust _her_, it was no wonder her husband ended up falling asleep on the sofa before their visit was even over. Pushing herself off the door, she walked into the living room. Patrick was still asleep on the sofa, the afghan pulled up over him. With his face relaxed in sleep and his gray hair falling across his face, there was no indication that he'd only recently recovered from a serious bout of bronchitis.

Crossing to the sofa, she lifted the afghan to pull it more snugly over his shoulder. As she withdrew her hand, his suddenly moved, catching hers, surprising her. "Pat! I thought you were asleep."

"I was at first," he admitted, smiling up at her lazily. "I woke up while you were saying good-bye to the others."

"You were playing possum," she accused him playfully, sitting on the ottoman William and Abraham had so recently vacated.

He nodded, bringing her hand up to kiss the back. "Yes, I confess I was. I didn't have the energy to say good-bye."

"Yes, dear." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

He turned his head at the last moment so the kiss landed on his lips, soft and sweet. "I love you, Emily Jane Gates."

"I love you, too, Patrick Henry Gates."

**End Chapter**


	2. Treasured Independence

**2. Treasured Independence**

Emily made her way across the yard at Ben and Abigail's estate with a pitcher of lemonade clutched in both hands. Dodging the lazily oscillating sprinkler set up for the kids was easy—dodging her grandchildren and the other youngsters present that day wasn't.

"Be careful!" she cried as little Abe dashed by her with several other similarly giggly, soaking wet children on his heels. "Don't slip on the grass!" The kids had put on swimming suits and indulged a romp in the sprinkler while their parents talked and rested in the shade of the patio nearby.

"Let me get that for you, Emily," Abigail chuckled as her mother-in-law was still shaking her head when she arrived at the two wooden picnic tables set up near the large grill. She finished the trek back to Patrick's side and eased herself onto the bench as he took a sip of the ice water he had in his hand. He smiled as Emily sat down, adoration in his eyes.

"Isn't that amazing?" Jacqui said to Abigail in wonder as they busied themselves setting places at the other picnic table for the kids. There were so many of them now between Ben and Abigail's three, Riley and Jacqui's three, and even Jacob and Nadya's growing brood of four that they warranted their own table.

"What's that?" Abigail said, standing up to look at Jacqui properly.

"It's been ten years since they got married again and he still looks at her like the sun revolves around her," Jacqui said.

"I think it's the other way around," Abigail said with a fond smile of her own as she watched Emily start to laugh at something Patrick said. "She *is* the sun, and his whole world revolves around her."

"People don't talk like that anymore," Nadya said, her youngest child, three year old Jamie, in her arms as she approached them. "But they should."

"I agree," said Jacqui. A little strawberry blonde head came bobbing out of nowhere, pigtails soaked and flopping and her eyes wide and bright. Jane Grey Poole, the second of Riley and Jacqui's three daughters, was the spitting image of her mother, from her freckles, to her distinctive laughter.

"Mom! Mom! Can we have a popsicle?" she squealed. "It's so hot! Please, mom!" Jacqui was opening her mouth to say no when a strong arm slipped around her waist and the accompanying voice answered for her, "Sure, go for it."

"Riley!" Jacqui said. "We're eating in less than an hour!"

"It's the Fourth of July!" Riley said. "They're hardly going to eat anyway and you know it." Jacqui folded her arms and squinted at her husband, trying very hard to be mad at him and failing. Riley sensed his victory and set down his beer bottle to wrap his arms around her waist.

"I love you," he said as she slipped her arms up around his shoulders and smiled.

"I love you, too," she said, "but you get to put them to bed tonight for this." Riley grinned widely.

"Fair enough," he laughed, ducking a bit so that his lips connected to hers. Jacob and Nadya's little Jamie covered his eyes with his tiny hands and buried his face in his mother's shoulder while the others laughed.

"Are we going to eat these steaks or let them burn?" called Ben playfully from the grill. Over the laughter that resulted from his comment, he shouted for the kids to dry off and come to the table.

"Hey! Knock that off!" Abigail warned as the twins pushed each other back and forth on the way to the table.

"Will started it!"

"Did not!"

"Too!"

"I'm ending it," Ben interrupted, immediately bringing an end to the argument. "What's this about?"

"Charlie says there's a woman in the painting The Last Supper!" Will cried.

"There IS!" Charlotte cried. "She's sitting next to Jesus! A guy wouldn't wear pink!"

"That's not pink; the pigment in the paint DaVinci used for the fresco is faded!" Will argued. Poor Ben couldn't seem to get a word in edgewise.

"You just don't want to admit that there's a girl in the painting," Charlotte growled.

"Charlotte, William, come over here by me," Patrick called. Ben looked up at his parents and said, "It's okay, dad, I got it."

"Oh, let me settle this one. You have to argue with them all day. Go get your supper and I'll fix this one," Patrick insisted, turning to his eldest grandchildren who by now, both stood before him with folded hands and downcast looks. If mom got involved it meant trouble. If dad got involved you were really in trouble. But if grandpa or grandma stepped in—and used your full name--that was a whole other world of trouble.

"We're sorry, grandpa," murmured Will contritely.

"Yeah, we're sorry," Charlie added, biting her lip a little. Patrick smiled. This was precisely what Ben had done as a child.

"Now, I will have the two of you know that Mr. DaVinci was a very brilliant artist, writer, and philosopher, and he left us a trove of beautiful things for us to read and look at. I'm sure he didn't mean for anyone to fight about it, but to simply enjoy it," Patrick said gently. The twins nodded without looking up and Emily had to press her lips together to fight the urge to giggle.

"First a hug and then off you go to get your dinner," Patrick said. The twins shared a brief embrace and then threw their arms around him before doing as he said and going to find their places at the table. Emily stood then and said, "I'll go get ours. You just rest."

"Emily, I am not an invalid," Patrick said firmly, standing from his place at the table and joining the line leading to the grill. Emily glanced back at him but said nothing. The bronchitis he'd had in the very early part of the spring had been hard on his system, and some of the habits Emily had developed during his convalescence still hadn't gone away. Patrick tried to be patient, but sometimes he needed to remind her that he was well enough to not be waited on again. When he arrived behind her in the line he rested his left hand on her still narrow waist and leaned over to whisper in her right ear, "I know you're only trying to help, and I love that about you." He lightly kissed her ear and was warmed by her smile and the way she clutched the hand that was wrapped around her waist. When they had their plates and were on their way back to the table, Emily leaned over to her granddaughter and whispered, "It *is* a woman."

Later on, the girls took the kids to sit at the top of a hill on the sprawling estate and watch the fireworks that their fathers were setting off for them a safe distance away. Emily sat down with them, curled up on a blanket between Charlotte and Will, with little Abe in her lap. Abigail scowled good-naturedly and reminded her children not to smother their grandmother, but they blissfully ignored her, especially Abe, who seemed more than content to let his grandma continue to stroke his hair affectionately as they watched.

Two hours later, Abe had fallen asleep against his grandma's shoulder. Abigail brought another blanket to wrap around Emily's shoulders and spotted him, sighing in amusement and a little embarrassment.

"Do you want me to take him, Emily?" Abigail offered. She had just sent the twins to get ready for bed and hadn't seen Abe among the other little heads she counted. Emily smiled radiantly and said, "Only long enough for me to get up off the ground, but then I want him back."

"Are you sure?" Abigail said with a smile.

"They won't be this small forever and I want to tuck them in for as long as they'll let me," Emily said. Abigail surrendered Abe back to his grandmother's arms and then joined the huddle at the bottom of the hill.

"The kids all off to bed?" Ben asked, briefly kissing Abigail when she arrived at his side.

"Yes. Your mother insisted upon tucking them in. She carried Abe herself," Abigail said.

"She'll hurt her back doing stuff like that," Ben said softly.

"Are *you* going to argue with her?" Abigail teased. Ben smiled.

"No," he replied.

"I didn't think so," Abigail said.

"You worry entirely too much, son," Patrick said, resting his hand on Ben's shoulder as Riley and Jacqui headed back toward the house with Jacob and Nadya. They could let Emily tuck in her grandchildren, but they didn't feel right inflicting their own children on her, even though she insisted that she loved them all as her own.

"You and mom have been through a lot," Ben said. "I just want you both to live as long possible and be happy." The three then fell in behind Riley and Jacqui, making their way back to the house.

"We *are* happy, Ben," Patrick said. "We've never been happier. Yes, we're getting older and we know that, but we both feel that it's important to maintain our independence as long as we can." Ben was a little stunned by this. He loved his parents, but he hadn't realized that he tended to dote on them much like they were just two more children in the family.

"I don't know what to say," Ben said, beginning to focus more on the grass and the house looming before them.

"All I'm saying, son, is that you do more than enough to keep your mother and me comfortable and safe. We just don't want you to worry so much," Patrick said reassuringly.

"I'll try," Ben said, reaching around to pat his father on the back. When they entered the house it was cool, dark, and strangely quiet. Jacqui, Nadya, and Abigail all exchanged looks.

"Where is everyone?" Riley said in confusion.

"The kids were all so wound up," Jacob added. "I'd thought they'd still be bouncing off the walls." All three mothers briskly went to peek into the rooms that Ben and Abigail had set aside for their guests but found only that the beds were turned down, lamps or nightlights were on, but the rooms were otherwise empty. Jacqui bit her lip and ran her left hand nervously through her hair.

"Where are the kids?" Nadya said. Abigail returned from checking her children's bedrooms and was pale despite a summer tan.

"Same thing. Beds turned down but the kids are gone," Abigail said softly.

"Where's Emily?" Patrick said as the young mothers returned to the great room.

"She's not upstairs and the kids are missing in action," Abigail said.

"Where in the world…?" Riley said, taking a step toward the other side of the room as he scratched his head in confusion. Patrick's still keen hearing picked up a stray sound and he turned and followed it, leading him down the hall toward the sun room. It would have retained the heat of the summer sun and would still be warm, despite the chill of the evening. He peered around the corner into the room as Ben called, "Dad? What's wrong?" Patrick turned and motioned for him to hush and then beckoned. Seven adults peeked into the room to find a veritable puppy-pile of children in pajamas and blankets curled up at the foot of a large white wicker chair. Emily was fast asleep in the chair with the blanket Abigail had given her over her lap and a blanket-swaddled Abe still clinging to his grandma as he slept in her arms.

"How on earth did she get all those kids to sleep?" Nadya whispered.

"I don't know, but I wish she'd share," Jacqui teased. Hearing the noise, Abe opened his eyes and his eyes welled up. His little lip trembled and he looked for all intents to be ready to cry. Slowly, he worked his way free of his blanket and reached for his father as Ben approached. Ben carried him a few steps and sat down on another chair, Abigail sinking down onto an ottoman nearby.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Ben asked, wiping his son's eyes.

"I had a bad dream," Abe whimpered.

"Do you want to talk about it, sweetie?" Abigail asked, stroking his cheek.

"It was about the bird," Abe said. "An' the moon an' the earth, like grandma's story….'cept grandma was the bird." Ben and Abigail locked gazes for a moment and then Ben smiled.

"Tanagila is a fable, Abe," Ben said gently.

"What's a fable?" Abe asked. Abigail smiled and kissed the top of his head as she rose to help Jacqui and Nadya wake the other kids and get them on their way to bed quietly without waking Emily.

"A fable is a story that uses animals and other parts of our world to teach a lesson," Ben explained. "The hummingbird gave her life for the moon and the earth because she loved them."

"But I don't want grandma to go," Abe wept. Ben hugged his son close and rocked him a little before Patrick sat down beside them, precisely where Abigail had been minutes before.

"Don't you worry, Abe, your grandma isn't going anywhere soon," Patrick said, patting the little one's hand. Will drowsily walked by with Charlotte and muttered, "Crybaby…"

"_Soyez-gentile_!" Abigail scolded softly in French. Will was quiet, but didn't apologize, but followed the other kids to the door and out into the hall. Patrick rose slowly from his seat and crossed the room to lightly touch Emily's shoulder.

"Em?" he said softly. He repeated himself when she didn't answer, and then knelt down and spoke a little louder, calling her full name this time, "Emily, can you hear me, honey?" Ben was looking up now, beginning to show concern that his mother hadn't awakened when her name was called. By degrees, finally, she woke, having fallen asleep so hard that she was in a very deep state by the time the others had gotten the children out of the room.

"Are you all right, mom?" asked Ben, coming to join them, still clutching sleepy little Abe to his shoulder.

"Just very deeply asleep, sweetheart," she replied drowsily. "I'm fine." She took Patrick's hand to help her up and then smiled when she saw Abe.

"Is he all right? I'm afraid I might have upset him with the story I told," Emily said.

"He's fine. As a matter of fact, he's more intuitive than I was at his age. He really thought the hummingbird was you, mom," Ben said. She looked a bit shocked and looked at Patrick for confirmation, which he nodded. Emily's expression melted into contrition.

"Oh, Ben, I'm sorry," she said.

"No need," Ben assured her. "You told me that story over and over when I was a kid. You'll still be here in the morning when he wakes up and he'll be just fine."

"Good night, son," Patrick said softly slipping an arm around Emily's shoulders.

"Good night, dear," Emily added as Ben disappeared down the hallway with Abe. When the elder Gates' settled into their bed that night, Emily smiled as Patrick's hand moved soothingly up and down her back.

"You scared me a bit there," Patrick murmured softly, "when I couldn't wake you."

"I told you, I was in a deep, dreaming sleep. It's not that unusual for a person in that state to be awakened with some difficulty," Emily reassured him. She slipped her arms around him in return and tipped her head up to kiss him.

"I have a feeling you aren't exactly tired," Emily teased as Patrick remained millimeters from her face.

"Oh, no," Patrick said. "It's the Fourth of July. You remember what happens on the Fourth of July." He ducked his head to kiss her neck and something stirred low inside her. She remembered that they hadn't made love since his illness that spring because he had been so fragile, and that it had been a strain on their relationship some days to bite back the urge to fulfill her desires, but her love for him had outweighed her instinct to physically express that love, and she had abstained. Patrick knew this, and wanted more than anything to convince her tonight that he was more than capable of mending this problem.

"Oh, Patrick," she sighed. "Sweetheart, we shouldn't do this…" Patrick moved back a little so that he could see her clearly.

"I thought you'd say that," he said. "I called the doctor three days ago and he said there is nothing stopping us from getting right back on where we left off." Despite this authoritative confirmation, Emily still seemed to have her doubts.

"You've been so patient and waited so long. I'm better now," Patrick said. "Emily, darling, please let me make the last few months up to you." Without waiting for her to reply, Patrick continued his ministrations, reveling in Emily's reactions as he worked. The fireworks in the skies that night were not the only ones going off that night.

The next morning, when Abigail arrived in the kitchen, Patrick was already awake, dressed, and had made a large breakfast for his family.

"What's this?" Abigail giggled.

"I slept particularly well last night, and I decided to do my hostess a favor," he said with a grin, the sunlight glinting off his glasses.

"What smells so good down here?" Ben said, shuffling into the kitchen behind Abigail. "Dad! You've been busy!" Patrick continued to smile as he set a plate with eggs and bacon, toast, hot water for tea, and orange juice onto a bed tray. To this he added a slender vase with a bright yellow rose in it and merrily lifted it with both hands, whistling as he left the kitchen bound for the bedroom. Ben and Abigail could only laugh and then go to wake up the kids. They could hear people moving around in Riley and Jacqui's room as they went by, and soft murmurs of muffled speech through Jacob and Nadya's door. They decided not to disturb their guests. They would be down soon enough, and it appeared that Patrick and Emily had had a very good night's sleep—a fact that would keep Ben and his wife smiling all morning long.

**End Chapter**

A/N: For the people who want to know, Patrick was born in 1938, Emily in 1945, Ben in 1964, Abigail in 1976, Riley in 1978, and Jacqui, Jacob, and Nadya in 1984.


	3. Salvaged Treasure

**3. Salvaged Treasure**

"After you, my dear." Patrick unlocked the door and gestured for Emily to enter first. She smiled, gently patting Abe's back as he slept in her arms once more. He'd stuck close to her for most of the day and she hadn't seemed to mind in the slightest.

Ben, holding a sleeping Charlie, reached around Patrick to catch hold of the screen door. "I have it, Dad. You go help Mom with Abe."

"You sure I can't take Charlie?" Patrick held out his arms. Ben looked as if he was about to protest, but then seemed to remember what they'd discussed the previous evening and instead carefully shifted his daughter into her grandfather's arms.

Charlotte stirred, but didn't wake, simply snuggled into Patrick's shoulder. "Thanks, Dad."

"Thank _you_, Ben." Patrick smiled at his son and followed his wife into the house. To tell the truth, Charlotte was a _little_ heavy for him, but nothing he couldn't handle. At least, that's what he hoped, anyway. By the time he reached her room, it was a relief to set her down on her bed. She murmured in her sleep and rolled onto her stomach, reaching out with one hand as if she was looking for something.

Looking around, he found the colonial-period teddy bear Ben had bought for her on one of his many business trips. The bear wore a colonial dress and lace cap. It was the only remotely "girly" toy Charlotte possessed and only because her father had gotten it for her. He placed it in the searching hand and watched, satisfied, as the bear was cuddled close. Patrick removed her shoes and socks and carefully eased the covers out from under Charlotte, tucking her in.

When he emerged into the hallway, he found Emily waiting for him, a serious expression on her face. "Is something wrong, Em?"

"I don't _think_ so," she replied, slipping her arm around his waist as they started down the stairs. "Ben's cell phone rang just as he was coming in and he asked me to bring you to his study once you finished tucking in Charlie."

"Hmm. Do you think it's connected with the ship?" Patrick slid his arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently.

She shrugged, her arm tightening briefly around his waist. "He just asked me to get you."

"Right." They reached the door and Patrick rapped lightly with his knuckles. "Ben?"

The door opened to reveal Abigail. She stood back and gestured for her in-laws to enter. "He's just finishing up his call."

"Thank you, Abigail." Emily kissed her cheek with a smile, drawing Patrick over to the settee to sit while they waited.

Behind the desk, Ben wrapped up his conversation. "Right, yes, we'll be there as soon as we can. Thank you. Good-bye." He flicked his phone shut and turned to face his parents. "Dad, we need to go to New Orleans."

"Why? Did they find something?" Patrick leaned forward, eager at the thought of finding the treasure of Andy Jackson and Jean Lafitte.

Ben held up his hands, shrugging. "I don't know. Laurie just said that we might want to come see it for ourselves."

"When do we leave?" A smile spread across his face at the thought of going somewhere and doing what he loved most: finding lost history.

Abigail rested her hands on her husband's shoulders, turning him to face her. "We already have plans for the rest of the week and we're _not_ going to cancel them just because you want to go look at treasure."

"But Abigail--" Ben started, only to be cut off.

"_No_, Ben. You promised to take the children snorkeling tomorrow." She gazed down at him with stern blue eyes. "They've been looking forward to it for weeks."

Patrick glanced at Emily with a smile. She glanced back with a smile of her own. Leaning over, she whispered in his ear, "_You're_ not leaving any earlier than Ben and I refuse to be left behind."

"Em, it's not going to be very interesting for you," he told her, part of him wondering why he even bothered arguing with her. "You'll probably be very bored."

She arched her eyebrows at him, the stubborn look on her face all-too-familiar. "I _am_ going with you, Patrick Henry Gates, end of discussion."

"Dad, why are you even arguing about it?" Ben sounded resigned and, when Patrick looked over at his son, he saw that Abigail was now perched in Ben's lap, a smug look on her face. "You argue with Mom about this every time and you lose the argument every time."

He pretended to consider the question, glancing at his wife. The gleam in her eyes made him smirk. "If you haven't figured that out by now, Son, how did you and Abigail give us three grandchildren?"

"I withdraw the question." Ben answered hastily, looking a little uncomfortable as he and Abigail got to their feet. "I'll book our plane tickets to New Orleans in the morning. For now, we should go to bed ourselves."

Patrick pretended to salute, amused as always by how naturally Ben took charge, without even intending to do so. "Yes, Sir!"

They went upstairs together, bidding each other good night before they parted to go to their rooms. It would be a lovely night indeed for both couples.

***

Emily sat on the beach with Patrick, watching as the others played in the water with their children. Riley and Jacqui's 8-year-old daughter, Cristina Maria, had had to be coaxed away from her video game, but she was now happily splashing in the surf with her cousin, Meriwether Lewis, who was a year older, but happy to play with Cristina. Abe had stayed near his grandmother again until Jane and her cousin, Emily Anne, enticed him into playing with them. The three six-year-olds stayed in the shallows with Nadya, who held her five-year-old daughter's hand as Margaret let the waves tickle her toes. The three-year-old cousins, Mary Elizabeth and Jamie Dylan, played happily in the sand near Patrick and Emily, shaded by the umbrella. Further out than the others, Charlotte and William paddled earnestly in the deeper water with their father, their snorkels the only visible sign of them above water. Abigail, Jacqui, Riley, and Jacob played with the other children, keeping them occupied until it was time for lunch.

By the time they emerged from the water, all of the children were more than ready to sit down quietly and eat. Charlie talked excitedly about all the sea life she'd seen underwater until Abigail gave her a plate with a hamburger on it. Then she was too busy eating to talk. Jane, who'd listened raptly to everything Charlie said, tugged on her father's T-shirt. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Jane?" He paused in his eating to lightly tug on a strawberry blonde pigtail.

"C'n I go snorkelin' after lunch?" Her blue eyes were big and hopeful and he glanced helplessly at his wife. He was hopeless at refusing his daughters anything.

Jacqui caught the look and, smiling fondly, drew Jane's attention to her. "We'll see, Jane. You're not supposed to go swimming right after eating anyway."

"Otay." Jane sighed and resumed eating as if she hadn't even asked the question to begin with.

Stifling a chuckle, Patrick murmured to Emily. "It's a good thing we didn't have a girl, Em."

"Why?" She glanced at him sharply, wondering what he meant.

He kissed her cheek, whispering in her ear. "Because she'd have had me wrapped around her little finger the day she was born."

After lunch, Abigail, Jacqui, and Nadya took Charlie, William, Cristina, and Meriwether for a walk, leaving Ben, Riley, and Jacob to watch the younger children, who'd been put to sleep by the combination of the warm sun and big meal. Ben stretched out on the sand by his parents as Riley and Jacob quietly talked about something to do with computers and technology. Patrick had given up trying to figure out what they were saying at times like this.

"Did you book the tickets, Ben?" Emily asked, reaching over to comb her fingers through her son's hair.

"Yes, Mom." He sighed, tilting his head into her touch. "We leave for New Orleans a week from today. How long we stay there depends on what it is Laurie wants us to see."

Emily nodded, still combing her fingers through Ben's hair, ruffling the dark brown and silver strands fondly. "Abigail is all right with it, then?"

"Of course she is, or I would have booked the tickets for later." He sighed and rested his head on his folded arms.

His mother said nothing more, watching as he drifted off to sleep, lulled by the warmth, the sound of the sea, and his mother's presence by his side. Patrick smiled softly as he watched his son sleep. "I wonder if Abigail figured out she can put him to sleep just by stroking his hair?"

"I'm sure Abigail has her own methods of getting Ben to sleep," Emily murmured, smiling playfully. "Though it's been a long time since I've had a chance to mother Ben."

"You'll get more of them on the trip next week," he told her softly, kissing her cheek. "Though I do wonder why you insist on coming with us despite the fact that it's not even remotely related to your area of expertise."

Emily turned to look at her husband, cupping his cheek gently. "I missed out on one treasure hunt with you. I don't want to miss out on any others, regardless of whether I can help or not."

He smiled, touched, and leaned forward to kiss her softly. "I do love you, Em."

"I love you, too, Pat." She smiled, resting her cheek on his shoulder as they sat and watched their son sleep.

***

Charlie hadn't been pleased when she heard Ben was going to New Orleans without her. "I wanna help!"

"I know, Sweetie, but you're not old enough yet," he told her, crouching down so he could be eye-to-eye with her. "And you need to learn more."

Her lower lip trembled and she folded her arms across her chest. "I wanna go!"

"No, Charlie." The words took effort, but he managed to get them out. "Not this time."

Abigail stood with Patrick and Emily as they watched the tableau play out. "We've let her get away with too much in the past."

"She's still young," Emily told her daughter-in-law. "It's not irreversible."

Patrick added with a crooked smile. "Though she'll always be headstrong and stubborn like her mother and grandmother." At the narrowed glances he received for that comment, he added, "Which is why whoever falls in love with her will be a _very_ lucky man."

"Nice recovery, Pat," Emily whispered to him as Abigail went to say good-bye to Ben.

He smiled, kissing her forehead. "It's the truth. I've always felt very lucky for having you in my life. Even more so now."

Ben walked over just then, blue-gray eyes a little sad. Leaving his family behind was one of the hardest things about his work and it never got easier. Patrick understood exactly how his son felt. No matter how eager he'd been to go treasure hunting when he was younger, there'd always been a part of him that had longed to be back home with Ben and Emily. "Are we ready to go?"

Together, they headed out to the shuttle waiting to take them to the airport. On the ride there, Ben fidgeted with his dog tags. The Navy had assigned one of them to him, but Abigail had given the other one to him. It had Abigail and Abe's thumbprints engraved on one side and Charlie and William's thumbprints on the other. Every Christmas, Abigail gave Ben a new dog tag as the children grew.

***

Laurie Tailor met them at the hotel in New Orleans. A short, muscular woman with short-cropped black hair and a stint as a diver in the Marine Corps, she ran the salvage operation with a firm hand, taking no nonsense from any of the divers, most of whom were men bigger, stronger, and younger than her. "How are the kids, Ben?"

"They're good, Laurie." Ben had hired her because she had a family of her own and understood how important it was for her boss to spend his time with his wife and kids. "Abigail says hello and Charlie wants to come help."

She shook her head. "She'll have her chance. This ship was pretty big and we haven't recovered even _half_ of what was on it."

"So what did you recover today that you wanted us to see?" Patrick got to the heart of the matter. He liked Laurie because she had a soft heart under her brisk, no-nonsense exterior.

Laurie barely spared a glance from the road. "You'll see when we get to the labs."

"We're not going to the ship, then?" Emily hadn't been sure of Laurie at first, but had grown to like how strong and tough she was, especially after seeing her chew one of the divers out for not following procedures. The man, who'd been at least a foot taller and had played football in college, had been almost shaking by the time Laurie finished. He'd always been scrupulous about following procedures after that.

Laurie shook her head. "Nope. That'll come later." She turned into the gate that led to the lab where the recovered artifacts were slowly and carefully cleaned. Some of them took years, but it ensured they wouldn't fall apart at the mere touch of a finger or a whisper of a breeze.

They followed Laurie through the various labs in the building until they reached a particular one. An oilskin packet sat on the table, with various documents spread out around it. Ben pulled out his glasses and peered carefully at the items. "What's this?"

"We recovered this a few months back and it's taken us some time to clean it up enough to be legible," Laurie explained, standing back as father and son leaned down to peer carefully at the documents. Emily, little more than a handbreadth taller than Laurie, didn't need to lean to read the documents.

What they read were ship's logs and manifests for the _HMS Endeavour_, the ship they'd been salvaging for the past seven years. Most of what was listed was pretty standard, but the last item caught their attention: gold, several hundred pounds of it. His eyes shining, Patrick looked up at his son. "I was right."

"Don't get carried away, Pat," Emily told him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "All this means is that the gold _was_ on the ship. It doesn't mean it's still there."

Ben turned to Laurie, who was smiling now. "Have you found any gold yet?"

"Aside from teeth and jewelry, nothing," Laurie replied, her smile fading. "We still have a lot of salvaging to do, though, so it could still be down there and we just haven't found it yet."

Patrick sighed. "It's almost like mining for gold in the mountains."

"We'll find it, Dad." Ben met his father's gaze firmly. "Just like we did the Templar Treasure, Cibola, and the Mount Shasta Treasure. We'll find _this_ treasure, too."

Heartened by his son's faith, Patrick nodded firmly. "You're right. We will."

"In the meantime," Laurie broke in gently. "How would you like to come by for lunch? The boys have been waiting to see you three ever since they knew you were coming."

Laughing, they agreed and followed Laurie back through the labs to her car, looking forward to seeing her husband, Lionel, and their two sons, Leopold and Lawrence.

***

After lunch, the seven of them sat in the Tailors' living room and Leopold asked, "I know why you're salvaging the ship, but why was it scuttled in the first place?"

"That we were at war with the British isn't reason enough?" Patrick asked with an amused smile.

In true teenaged fashion, Leopold rolled his eyes. "Not really."

"No one knows for sure," Ben replied this time, slipping unconsciously into "storyteller mode" as his children called it. "Some say Jackson did it out of spite. Others say that Lafitte wanted the British out of the Gulf of Mexico for good. Still others say that the _British_ scuttled it to keep the gold out of _anyone's_ hands, American or otherwise."

Lawrence tilted his head curiously. "Which do _you_ think?"

"There's no conclusive evidence for any of the stories," Patrick explained. "Though it's doubtful the British would have deliberately sunk seven million dollars' worth of gold just to keep it out of enemy hands."

Laurie interjected her opinion at this point. "The reasons don't really matter, though. That ship was sunk and needs to be salvaged; that's all that really matters."

**End Chapter**

A/N: If you don't know what a 'handbreadth' is, it's how horses are measured in the US and it's standardized at four inches.


	4. Inconsolable Treasure Hunters

**4. Inconsolable Treasure Hunters**  
_--Ten Years Later--_

A white draped coffin in a sea of black suits, handkerchiefs and tears—that was all that Ben saw as he gazed out across the church full of people. Two of the three most important women in his life clung to him right now, both weeping, and Ben couldn't resist tears of his own. As the coffin had been closed before the service, Ben had wanted to rush over, to cry out, 'no, not yet!' but numbness had taken over and he remained still as the staff from the funeral parlor gently shut the lid of the dark cherry polished coffin with its creamy colored satin lining and gold tinted metal accents. A final resting place fit for a king; the only king in Ben's life that had mattered more than anything else—his father.

Ben had intended to speak during the eulogy portion of the service, to extort on the impeccable virtues and ideals that his father had stood for during his life, to tell them all about the Templar Treasure, the one the family had never stopped searching for, and to tell them about the treasure hunt that he ultimately left unfinished.

He had had to practically carry his mother down the aisle of the church, her posture straight as it always was, but her knees weakened by misery. All she could hear in her head was her vow to Patrick twenty years ago, "Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried…"

When Patrick had died in his sleep little more than a week ago, Emily thought her heart would stop altogether. Her throat had tightened up, tears poured from her eyes, and a sob tore itself from her mouth in the agony of losing the only man she ever loved. Others had tried to tell her that it was a blessing that he went this way. It was peaceful, quiet, and painless. He wasn't sick, or even weak; it had simply been his time. She had often asked God in the past few days why he hadn't allowed her to go with him. Was this her punishment for having left him all those years ago—to have to finish her earthly days without him? Another sob broke free, making her shoulders shake and tears blur her vision again.

Ben took hold of her shoulders in one arm and then took her hand in his free one, sitting down abruptly with her when she couldn't bear to stand anymore. Strapping Abraham, already very much a young man at 16, carefully stepped around them, taking the sheet of paper from Ben's hands as he went by. Ben looked up helplessly at his youngest son and Abe nodded to him, "It's okay, dad. I've got it."

"The only thing that Patrick Henry Gates—my grandfather—sought more ardently than treasure was the love and respect of his family. He was a source of inspiration and…" Abe paused to compose himself when he heard his sister, Charlotte, stifle a sob behind a delicate handkerchief. "…inspiration and joy to the people in his life, and I cannot help feeling that today marks the passing of a Titan. A remarkable man who dedicated his life to history and its recovery and preservation, who underneath the treasure hunting and study, treasured his family most of all, of which I am so very proud to be a part."

"You'll see grandpa's favorite flower all over the room today. He always said that sunflowers were the noblest of the wildflowers and the most aptly named, not because they look like the sun, but because they track it. The heads of the sunflowers turn as the sun passes overhead like a field of little satellite dishes seeking the life-giving rays. If there is any sun in the sky, the sunflowers will find it, which is what makes them the greatest flower of them all, and the greatest metaphor for life. From now on, whenever we see a sunflower, I hope each of us will pause for just a moment and remember this story, remembering a man who helped make the world a better place simply by being a part of it."

Later, at the graveside, all three of Ben's children took a knee as the coffin was lowered into place. Each one, even Charlotte, knighted by the family Patriarch just as great-grandpa Charles had done with their father. Temple Knights, he had called them, charging them with the responsibility to preserve what was right, good, and true in accordance with the traditions of those who had come before them—a duty than none took lightly—and had smiled brilliantly as they all rose and hugged him.

The memory seemed to smother any other rational thought for Charlotte. She and her twin brother Will were 20, right in the middle of their sophomore year in college when their father had called them with the news. Sudden regret had slipped over her skin while her father spoke, giving her information about the wake, service and burial. When Will had arrived to walk with her to class—the only one they had together this year—Charlotte had been nearly mute in sorrow, the scrawled notes that she took from her conversation with their father the only clue to what had been wrong, striking Will all the more suddenly. Will had been the one to drive when the twins came home from university to be with the family. When Abigail asked her children what took them so long to get home, Will blamed it on the traffic rather than admit that he'd had to pull over and compose himself a few times along the way before they could continue on.

When all was said and done, Charlotte sat still on the sofa in the great room, staring at a vase of dried flowers on the coffee table in front of her and completely unaware that Abe had taken up the chair across from her. As a matter of fact, she hardly noticed Will, who eased himself down beside her and rested his right hand on her shoulder.

"What are we going to do without him?" Charlotte muttered miserably.

"The only thing we can do, sis. We're going to remember him," Will said.

"What about the treasure?" Abe asked, loosening his tie. "The ship in New Orleans? They still haven't found the gold."

"What if it isn't there?" Charlotte answered.

"Oh it's there," Will said, his father's determination swelling in him, "…and we're going to find it."

**End Chapter**


	5. One Last Treasure Hunt

**5. One Last Treasure Hunt**

"Grandma?" Emily slowly opened her eyes, peering at the shape in the doorway. She recognized the voice as Abe's, but she didn't have her glasses on, so he was just a blur. "Are you all right?"

She felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she breathed in the scent of sunflowers that clung to the pillow in her arms. "I'm fine, Abe."

"No, you're not." He entered the room and perched on the bed by her hip, looking very mature for his sixteen years. If not for the fact that his eyes were gray instead of blue, she would have sworn she was looking at her husband all over again. "You miss Grandpa a lot, don't you?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat as her grandson took her hand in both of his and squeezed it, she slowly nodded. "Yes, I do. It feels as if my heart's been torn out of my chest and there's nothing left."

"Nothing, Grandma?" Abe asked, taking her hand and pressing it to his chest, where his young heart beat steadily and strongly. "What about this part of your heart here? It's still beating. It hasn't stopped."

Emily gazed at Abe with wonder and guilt. In the week since the funeral, she'd let herself wallow in her grief over losing her husband that she'd forgotten about the rest of the family. They were mourning, too, and she should be with them, not hiding away in the room she'd shared with Patrick for the past twenty years. Sad, apologetic gray eyes met calm, understanding ones. "I'm sorry, Abe. I've been very selfish."

"We understand how painful this is for you," he told her quietly as she shifted into a sitting position, carefully returning Patrick's pillow to its place on the bed. "I bet Dad would be just bad if something happened to Mom--" the teenager's voice hitched, but he pressed on "--but we need you right now. Especially Dad."

Smiling sadly, Emily hugged Abe, kissing his forehead. "Thank you, Sweetie."

"You're welcome, Grandma." He returned the hug fervently, squeezing her gently yet firmly.

Abe waited out in the hall while she showered and dressed. When she joined him, she felt more like her old self. Taking his arm, they walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where Ben and Abigail were picking at breakfasts they didn't really want. Ben's jaw dropped when he saw who was with Abe. "Mom?"

"Hello, Sweetheart." She smiled tremulously as he rose from his seat and swept her into a hug so enthusiastic that she feared for her ribs for a few moments. "I'm sorry I haven't been around this past week."

Ben set her on her feet with a stern look, holding her by her shoulders. "Don't apologize, Mom. You just lost the most important person in your life. Of course it would affect you deeply."

"That's no excuse for neglecting my family," she retorted tartly, somehow steering him back over to his seat at the kitchen table. "Now eat your breakfast. We can't have you wasting away. You, too, Abigail."

"Yes, Mom." "Yes, Emily."

The two adults meekly began to eat their food rather than pick at it. Turning to Abe, Emily asked, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Could you make your special pancakes?" Abe requested, gray eyes hopeful.

Emily glanced at the clock. It was almost time for Abe to go to school. "There's not enough time this morning, but how about for dinner tonight?"

"Grandma, today is Saturday," Abe explained patiently while his parents tried desperately not to laugh. "There's enough time for pancakes."

Frowning, Emily glanced at her son and daughter-in-law. "Is it really Saturday?"

Blue eyes twinkling, Abigail nodded. "Yes, Emily, it is."

"Okay, pancakes it is, then." Turning to the refrigerator, Emily gathered the ingredients together, trying to think of what else she could do to make up for the past week.

***

Once her family was reassured that Emily was well on her way to being her usual once more, they returned to their own home, leaving her alone in the big house. It didn't feel right, though, to be in the house without her husband. It was too big, too empty without the deep, abiding love and fond companionship of her husband to ease the loneliness. More and more often, she found excuses to spend her days and evenings with Ben and Abigail. Even the Pooles and Bonners found Emily to be a frequent visitor. Not that any of them minded. All of them worried about how she would fare without her husband at her side, from her sixty-three-year-old son all the way down to her adopted thirteen-year-old grandchildren, Mary and Jamie.

Finally, not long after summer break started for the kids, when Emily had stayed so late that it was more practical for her to spend the night rather than drive home, Ben asked, "Mom, why do you visit so often? We love having you, but is there something wrong with the house that we don't know about?"

"Oh, Ben." She smiled faintly, reaching up to pat his cheek. "There's nothing wrong with the house, at least physically wrong."

"Why do I sense a 'but' in there?" Ben looked fondly exasperated as he caught Emily's hand and held it in his.

Her smile turned sad as she stroked Ben's hand with her free one. "I get so lonely, rattling around in that house by myself. It was fine when you, Abigail, and the kids were there, but then you returned to your home." She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to protest or something like that. "I don't blame you. _This_ is your home and you needed to be here."

"There's an obvious solution," Ben told her, squeezing her hand gently. "You could just move in with us."

Caught by surprise, she could only stare at him. It had never occurred to her to actually move in with her son and his family, but it made perfect sense. She wouldn't be alone and she wouldn't be intruding, either, because Ben had _offered_. Clearing her throat, she inquired, "And Abigail agrees with the idea?"

"She's the one who suggested it." Abigail's voice drew their attention to the door. While Ben's hair was now gray with streaks of dark brown, his wife's was still bright gold, though occasionally Emily was sure she caught of glimpse of silver amongst the gold. "You should have said something sooner instead of leaving us to figure it out for ourselves."

Emily glanced at her son with a playful smile as Abigail sat down on his other side, "And deny Ben the chance to figure out another puzzle?"

"This was one puzzle I would have been happy to give up if it meant helping you sooner." Ben was serious as his eyes met hers. "Please, Mom. Move in with us. I know the kids won't mind."

She arched her eyebrows at him. "And what should I do with the house? It's been in the family for several generations and I don't want to sell it."

"You don't have to," Ben told her. "You can put it up for rent until one of the kids decides they want it."

Stifling a chuckle, Emily glanced at Abigail. "He always was good at thinking of everything."

"That's what we love so much about him, isn't it?" Abigail asked, reaching up comb her fingers through Ben's hair, ruffling it.

He gave a long-suffering sigh. "If you two are done talking about me as if I'm not here, can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Of course I'll move in, Ben." She hugged her son tightly. "Though I reserve the right to move back out if it doesn't work the way we'd hoped."

Ben returned the hug and kissed her cheek. "Of course, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen, Mom."

"Charlie, Will, and Abe love you too much," Abigail added, getting up to hug Emily as well.

Emily nodded, unable to think of anything to say to that. It was a relief to know she wouldn't have to be alone again unless she _wanted_ to be alone. That wouldn't be for some time, though. Being alone gave her too much time to think and remember. That usually led to her breaking down in tears. Spending time with others helped to keep her from thinking too much.

***

The Fourth of July BBQ was a little subdued that year. Everyone felt the absence of the family Patriarch, though none more so than Emily. This day had always been a special day for them, a chance to celebrate their personal independence as much as that of their country. Without Patrick by her side, the celebration felt rather hollow. Then Abe sat down beside her, not to her left, where her husband used to sit, but to her right, as if honoring his memory. "Grandpa wouldn't want you to be sad, Grandma. He'd want you to enjoy life still."

"I know, Abe, but I don't feel much like enjoying life," she admitted quietly, absently twisting her wedding ring around and around her finger.

Abe wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We're going to New Orleans to check on the progress of the salvage next week. Dad's more determined than ever to find that gold."

"Enjoy your trip, then," Emily told him, summoning up a small smile.

He shook his head in fond exasperation. "Silly Grandma. You've been a part of this hunt almost from its beginning. Don't you want to see the end, too?"

"That...is a good idea, actually," she commented thoughtfully, a familiar gleam appearing in her eyes that none of her family or friends had seen since Patrick had died. Perhaps this was why God hadn't taken her when He'd taken her husband. He wanted her to finish the search for the treasure, to make up for abandoning the hunt for the Templar Treasure.

Abe was grinning when she looked at him, determined now. "Welcome back, Grandma."

***

They drove directly to the dock to meet the salvage ship. Laurie was still overseeing the operation for them, barking orders and chewing out the divers if they weren't followed promptly. The only change the last ten years had brought was that her hair was a solid iron gray now instead of black. When she saw Emily, she actually stepped forward and hugged her! Right there on the dock! Softly, Laurie murmured for the older woman's ears only, "I'm sorry about Patrick."

"Thanks, Laurie." Emily returned the hug after a moment of shock.

Then Laurie pulled back and carried on as if the hug hadn't happened, greeting the others. They trooped onto the ship and it was soon underway. Charlotte stayed on deck to watch the process, but the others went into the briefing room, where Laurie would tell them what progress had been made since their last visit. Emily knew the salvage was almost complete and that their chances of finding the gold had shrunk as more of the ship was found without a hint of a gold bar anywhere.

Finally, Laurie arrived, herding Charlotte ahead of her. The younger woman flopped into the chair between her brothers with a dramatic sigh. No one had a chance to ask her what was wrong, because Laurie started the briefing just then. "We've pretty much covered every inch of the ship now. If the gold _was_ there as the manifests indicated, it had to have been moved. Most likely soon after the ship was scuttled."

"Why do you say that?" Ben asked the question, not because he didn't trust Laurie's judgment, but because he wanted to know her reasons.

"Because there's no sign of disturbance," Laurie explained, putting up pictures and slides on the projector screen. "If it had been salvaged from the ship, we would have found evidence in prior disturbance. Since we haven't, then it's more likely that the gold was removed from the ship either _before_ it was scuttled or right after."

After that, Laurie told them about some items of historical interest that had been found, but it was the gold, or lack of it, that Emily focused on. _One last treasure hunt..._

**End Chapter**


	6. Coded Treasure Clues

**6. Coded Treasure Clues**

"There must be more down there than just broken swords and silverware," said Will, leaning forward to study a map on the table.

"Now that the ship itself has been recovered, we're discovering more all the time," Laurie assured him. "We've recovered most of the cannons and swivel guns from the ship, as well as the foremast that we think might have broken as the ship went down. Diving equipment was not very sophisticated back then, and it was very expensive, so if they moved any of the cargo, they had to do it before they scuttled the ship."

"Cannons? Really?" Abe said, suddenly much more interested. Boys will be boys, after all.

"Has anyone been out to Barataria to see if it was there?" Will asked, his father sitting back in his chair with a proud smile on his face.

"Of course," Laurie said obligingly," but there's nothing left of it. Not even a coin."

"How far down have you dug?" asked Charlotte, finally joining the conversation.

"We were only 10 feet down when we started finding the rest of the cannons. I've instructed the men to continue to dig deeper. Who knows what else we'll find down there," Laurie said.

"Do they think that the gold might have gone down with the ship?" Abe asked, his brow wrinkling as he looked at a printout of photos in front of him. Charlotte suddenly leaned forward and snatched it out of his hands.

"Hey!" Abe said, a bit hurt.

"What is this from?" Charlotte demanded. The photos were close ups of the designs on what looked like a broken piece of pottery.

"What do you see, Charlie?" Ben asked as he and Will tried to read over her shoulder.

"I think Mr. Lafitte just announced himself," Charlotte said, pointing at a stylized rampant lion in the design. It wasn't obvious, but it wasn't impossible to pick out either. "The lion was a part of the Lafitte family coat of arms."

"Way to go, sweetheart," Ben said. "I can't quite tell what it says."

"Where is this piece right now?" Will asked.

"It's on its way to the lab," Laurie said, a little confused.

"There's a code on the pottery, in the scrollwork," Charlotte said, shrugging her coat back on and taking the printout with her. "Will, let's go take a look."

"The scrollwork?" Emily repeated.

"Yeah," Charlotte said, setting the picture on the table again long enough to show the rest of the family what she was talking about. She traced the shapes that before their eyes became warped letters and numbers.

"You think this is a clue to where the gold was hidden?" Abigail said.

"Why else would Lafitte have a piece of pottery in his possession that has letters and numbers scrolled all the way around it to look like just an intricate pattern?" Charlotte said.

"Do you really think you can break it?" Ben asked. Charlotte and Will looked at each other and then returned a look that nearly made Emily laugh out loud for the first time in a very long time.

"Please," Charlotte said with an edge of the Gates family pride that she obviously inherited.

"What else do you do in class when you're bored?" Will said, the same attitude in his tone. Abigail and Ben looked at one another as the twins rose from the table.

"We're not paying for the two of you to pass notes in class," Abigail gently scolded.

"We already knew everything in that class anyway," Charlotte retorted. "Anyone else want to join us? Going once, going twice…"

"Wait for me!" Abe said, fairly jumping from his seat. Charlotte and Will left the briefing room but Abe stopped at the door and turned, dark blonde hair with angel curls and gray eyes soaked with that irresistible Gates charm.

"Grandma, are you coming?" Abe said. Emily's heart melted. She never could say no to those eyes; Patrick's eyes--Ben's eyes…

"Yes," Emily said, rising from her chair and preceding her grandson out the door.

* * *

"There has to be more it than this," Will said when the lab tech brought them the pieces of the pottery they had seen in the photo.

"It will be easier when we get the pieces together," Charlotte said.

"Are we allowed to do that?" Abe said.

"Sure we can. If we get it put back together, we'll be able to better solve the coded message," Charlotte said, handling the pieces gingerly as she arranged them according to their edges. Abe looked up from what his sister was doing and noticed that Emily had taken to slowly wandering up and down the rows of artifacts carefully cleaned, tagged, and cataloged. Will put his hand on Abe's to get his attention and shook his head.

"What?" Abe whispered.

"Let her go for a while," Will replied. Abe conceded reluctantly, taking up a pen and paper to help the twins by copying down the code as Charlotte dictated it from what turned out to be a shallow vase.

Emily couldn't help musing about which artifacts Patrick had lived to see unearthed and which were new since his passing. He'd have loved to see the cannons that Abe was now eager to see. She could hear Charlotte dictating the letters and numbers she found on the surface of the pottery and then proceeding to begin deciphering the code. As the twins debated, she couldn't resist thinking that they sounded much like their parents.

"Try it this way," Will said, taking the pen from Charlotte's hand and scribbling on the note pad.

"That doesn't work with this here, though," said Charlotte, scratching something out and writing a correction. All of this was lost on Abe, who could hardly keep up with them in conversation let alone when they were trying to solve a puzzle. Emily returned to the examination table to see how things were going and looked at the vase in innate curiosity. There above the scrolled design that the kids were translating, were rings of grooves. They were thin, shallow, and close together—an unusual motif for the period. They reminded her of the cuttings in a turn of the century recording cylinder.

"What's up, grandma?" asked Charlotte, finally noticing that she had returned to the table.

"Do these grooves strike anyone else as odd?" she asked. All three of her grandchildren were suddenly examining the grooves.

"You're all too young to remember vinyl records, but," Emily began, "could it be possible to record sound on pottery like a vinyl record?"

"This is going to take some tricky equipment to investigate," Will said softly, examining the grooves under a magnifying glass. Abe's eyes lit up.

"I know exactly who to call," he said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

* * *

"Grand Central Station!" a female voice chirped into the phone. Abe couldn't help laughing.

"Hi, Janie!" Abe said. Jane Poole, Riley and Jacqui's second oldest daughter, made every phone call a joke. Abe mused that she had a different greeting for each time he'd ever called the house—and that was a lot of phone calls!

"Abe!" she said happily. "How are you guys doing?"

"Aw, we're pretty good. Hey, is Crissie home? We're in New Orleans looking at some of this stuff that the salvage crew has been finding on the ship and we've got a trick that's right up her alley," Abe said.

"You're lucky you're talking to me. She'd kill you for calling her Crissie," Jane said. Abe listened as she ascended the stairs and knocked on a door.

"Cris! Phone!" Jane called. "Good luck, Abe. Let me know when you get home, okay?" Her tone made Abe smile.

"Sure. I'd like that," he said. There was a click and then Cristina Poole's voice invaded the airwaves.

"This is Cris," she announced. Abe could hear music in the background—alternative—exactly what her parents couldn't stand—and Abe knew she was probably hip-deep in the creatures she was slaughtering on World of Warcraft.

"Hey, Cris, it's Abe," he said by way of a greeting. "We've got a heck of a puzzle and we need your mad-crazy computer geek skills to help us out." Cristina instantly stopped what she was doing allowing her elven character and it's minion to take over for a few moments so that she could pay attention.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, suddenly very interested in what he had to say. "What kind of puzzle? You know that puzzles don't stand a chance with me, right?"

"You were the first name that came to mind," Abe said. He described the grooves and the vase and reminded her how old it was, and that it could possibly lead them to the treasure that their grandfather died without finding. Abe had never before gotten in an entire explanation without Cristina interrupting him.

"All right," Cristina said, turning to the keyboard and shifting her gaze to the second monitor of the three that were spread out before her. "Let me do some checking around and go through my personal arsenal here and see what I've got. You guys might need to bring it home for me to work on."

"I'll get back to you on that. We're still trying to work out the symbols on the rest of the vase," Abe said.

"Can you send me pics of what you have?" Cristina asked, the keyboard still clicking beneath her fingers.

"Of course. They're coming at you any minute here. Call me when you've got something," Abe said, saying goodbye and then hanging up.

"What makes you think Cris is going to be able to do anything?" Charlotte said.

"Because this is Cristina Poole we're talking about here," Abe said. "Uncle Riley's prodigy. If she can't figure out a way for us to do it then we'll need to ask Emily Anne, and guys, you're calling her, not me."

To call Emily Anne Bonner a genius was an understatement. The brilliance of her other siblings and cousins notwithstanding, she was a bookworm of monumental proportions, and growing up with her had been a trial by fire. She'd published her first book at 10, and was graduating from high school at the age of 16 that spring. She played three instruments, spoke four languages, and had kept her parents dizzy since the day she could pick up a pen.

"Emily's got the book thing down, but I don't think she's got the head for contraptions that Mary does," Will said. Despite her 13 years, Mary Elizabeth Poole could wield a welding torch like her cousin Emily wielded a pen.

"That's true," Emily added, remembering the last time she'd seen Riley's youngest girl. Emily had tiptoed out to the garage to tell her it was time for dinner, having not seen her for quite a while. A form in a welding mask and coveralls crept out from behind a large metal tangle of framework, wires, and open circuit boards. When she removed the mask and safety glasses, her straight red-gold hair tumbled down her back and beneath the coveralls, she wore a femininely designed top and trendy jeans. This transformation had floored her—and also explained why every boy in the middle school was dying to date her.

"We may need all the help we can get to create the right equipment to read the recording," Emily said.

"With all due respect, we don't even know for sure if that's what it is," Charlotte said.

"That doesn't mean we're not going to try, grandma," Will added, reassuringly. Emily nodded and patted Will's back making him smile.

"There's no way we're giving up. This one's for grandpa," Abe added.

"He'd be so very proud of all of you," Emily said, biting back a little sadness at the thought.

"We know, grandma," Charlotte said gently. "We'll make all of you proud. You'll see."

**End Chapter**


	7. Cracking the Treasure Clue

**7. Cracking the Treasure Clue**

A few hours after Abe had called, Jane carefully knocked on her older sister's door. "Cris? Can I come in?"

"If you're able, yes," Cris called back, sounding distracted.

Opening the door, the sixteen-year-old poked her head around it, spotting her eighteen-year-old sister seated at her computer, scowling at the screen. "What'd Honest Abe want?"

"He and the others found a pottery vase that might have a recording on it," Cris answered absently, plucking up a picture she'd printed out and offering it to her sister.

Jane examined the picture, tilting her head to one side, and then the other. "How can this have a recording on it?"

"You see these grooves around the neck of the vase?" Cris pointed to them with the pen that had been holding her hair back in a knot at the nape of her neck, ignoring the auburn tresses that fell down her back.

Jane pushed her own strawberry blonde hair back behind one ear. "Yeah, what about them?"

"According to Grandma Em, that's not typical of vases from that time period." Cris turned back to the computer. "She said it's more like the old vinyl records they used before CD's were invented."

The younger girl nodded, returning the picture to Cris' desk in a slightly different spot. "And Abe was wondering if you could come up with something that could play it?"

"Pretty much." Cris frowned and moved the picture back where it'd been. "If I can come up with a workable design, Mary can build it."

"If you can distract her from her current project enough," Jane commented with a smirk, tweaking a couple other piles of notes and pictures.

Cris rolled her green eyes and moved the piles back. "If I tell her it's for Grandpa Pat, she will."

"Good point." Jane nodded and headed for the door, 'accidentally' knocking into Cris' bedside table and jostling everything on top. "Let me know if I can help."

Behind her, Cris replied, "Yeah, we'll probably need a computer program once Mary builds it."

"I just need specs, and then I'll get to work on it." Smiling to herself, Jane picked up a CD on her sister's table and left the room, wandering down the hall to her own to do some work on her own computer.

***

"What's this I hear about a phone call from Abe?" Riley asked at dinner that night. "And him wanting to talk to Cris for once?"

Jane explained about the vase and the grooves on it, blue eyes bright and animated as she did. "So, Crissie's going to design something to 'read' the grooves that Mary will build and I'll program!"

"Don't call me Crissie," the oldest of the three girls all but growled.

Mary, who hadn't heard anything about the vase until then blinked and stared at her younger older sister and asked, "I will? Why?"

"Because it's for Grandpa Pat," Jane explained simply, ignoring Cris' growl, as per usual. "Will, Charlie, and Abe want to find the treasure for him and they need our help to do so."

Unaware of the proud, fond smiles on their parents' faces, Mary nodded slowly. "Well, if it's for Grandpa Pat, count me in."

"I told you, Crissie." Jane smirked at her sister and placidly went back to eating.

Cris sighed. "No wonder you and Abe get along so well."

It did not escape either parent's notice that Jane's cheeks turned a little pink at the comment. Rather than draw attention to it, Jacqui simply said, "I'm proud of you girls for wanting to help, but please don't forget your studies in the process."

"We won't, Mom," Mary assured her mother with a smile that was very reminiscent of her father. "We remember what happened when you went off with Dad and the others."

Cris nodded, her once-more restrained hair almost falling down her back again. "I'd rather not take any longer to get my degree than necessary."

"And I want to walk with Abe at graduation in two years," Jane added, her cheeks still a fetching shade of pink.

Grinning, Mary reached over and poked her sister. "Do I see a one-room log cabin in Illinois in the not-so-distant future?"

"Shut up!" Jane snapped, her cheeks bright red.

Jacqui decided to intervene before it could deteriorate further. "No fighting at the table, girls."

"Besides, Abe's counting on you," Riley added, glancing at his youngest over the tops of his glasses. "You won't be able to help him if you're fighting amongst yourselves."

Mary gestured to her sister, grinning broadly. "Oh, come on! We've hardly teased her and she's as red as a fire engine."

"If you don't stop, I'll lock you out of your computer so fast the motherboard will melt." Jane was glaring at her sister now, her usual cheeky smile nowhere in sight.

The youngest of the Poole girls gave a theatrical shudder. "Oooh, I'm so scared! Let's see how your computer will stand up to a blowtorch."

"GIRLS!" Jacqui's voice stopped Jane before she could make a retort. "Not another word or you won't be able to help find the treasure." She looked from one to the other sternly. "Do I make myself clear?"

Exchanging dismayed glances, the two girls looked at their mother and chorused, "Yes, Mom."

"Thank you." Jacqui smiled and dinner resumed quietly. Until Cris started whistling 'Here Comes the Bride.' Her mother gave her a stern glance after only a couple bars. "Keep that up and _you_ won't be allowed to help, either."

Cris tossed her head rebelliously. "I'm eighteen now. You can't stop me."

"So long as you live here, I can," Jacqui reminded her daughter. "Now stop teasing your sister and eat."

"Yes, Mom."

***

The Gates family returned from New Orleans a week later, tired and a little discouraged. They hadn't found anything else besides the vase. The youngsters were all for taking it directly to the Pooles, but their parents and grandmother insisted that they all unpack and take naps first. Charlotte in particular had been reluctant to do as their parents suggested, but the moment she'd curled up with her old worn teddy bear, she fell asleep. She was the last to get up later that afternoon. After changing and splashing water on her face, she went downstairs to find her brothers in the living room. "Hey, guys. So what's the plan?"

"We're going over to the Pooles for dinner," Will told his twin, noting with amusement that she was carrying the teddy bear. "The girls have the machine built and everything."

Abe added with a fond smile, "Jane said there shouldn't be any trouble if the grooves _are_ a recording of some kind."

"Considering all three of them have been working on it, that's not really a surprise," Charlotte commented, exchanging a mischievous glance with her twin. "Just don't sneak off with her while we figure the clue out."

His cheeks reddening, Abe tried to glare at his sister. "She'd probably be too eager to figure the clue out to _want_ to sneak off somewhere."

"Why do you try to tease him, Char?" Will asked with a laugh. "He never rises to the bait."

Charlotte glared at her twin. "Don't call me that, _Willy_."

"Yeah, yeah." William sighed, wincing a little at the hated nickname.

Emily appeared at that moment, looking refreshed and energized. "Are you three ready to go?"

"Yes, Grandma." Abe hopped to his feet and hurried forward to offer his arm with a gallant bow. "Will you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you?"

An amused smile twitching at the corners of her mouth, Emily slipped her arm through Abe's. "You can be very silly at times."

"It's why he likes Jane," Charlotte stage-whispered to William. "She's just as silly as him."

Abe's cheeks reddened, but he determinedly escorted Emily from the room. He had his own ways of getting back at her.

***

After dinner, both families trooped out to Mary's workshop to test the pottery for an actual recording. Since Mary built the machine, she helped Abe position the vase correctly. She then nodded to Jane, who set the machine in motion. At first, they only heard crackling, and then, thin and clear, the sound of mandolin music. Expressions sharpened around the room and Abe turned to his friend. "Jane? Can you record that?"

"Uh, duh!" She smiled, patting Abe's hand quickly to take the sting out of her words. Turning back to the computer, she tapped in a few commands and the music played again. "There!"

Everyone listened intently to the music. The tune was unfamiliar to them, sounding more like folk music than classical. "Charlotte turned to her father, who stood quietly with his wife and best friend. "Dad? Do you think it's a clue?"

"What do _you_ think, Honey?" Ben asked gently, glancing briefly at his mother. Emily sat quietly nearby, her eyes almost closed as she listened to the music.

Charlotte glanced at the vase and nodded. "I think it is, but I have no idea what to do now."

"Who is the best musician we know?" Jane asked dryly from her place by Abe. "Who could probably identify this for us?"

The twins exchanged a defeated look. "Emily Anne."

"I'm not calling her," Abe informed his older siblings almost gleefully.

Turning to each other, Will and Charlotte played a quick round of Rock, Paper, Scissors that Charlotte lost. Muttering under her breath, she left the room to make the phone call. Emily gave the others a stern glance, protective of her namesake. "She's not _that_ bad."

"Grandma, you didn't go to school with her," Abe explained patiently, walking over to hug her gently. "We love Em, but she makes us feel so stupid sometimes."

Emily returned the hug, a little mollified. She hadn't exactly been a genius the way Emily Anne was, but she'd certainly been smart enough that more than one fellow student had hated her simply for being smart. "That intelligence comes with a price, Abe. Try to remember that."

"I will, Grandma." He hugged her again.

Charlotte returned at that moment. "Em's on her way." She addressed her twin. "Come on, Will, let's try deciphering that code again."

Smiling, Will pulled out the papers they'd been using and bent over them with her. Cris wandered over to help them. She was the only Poole sibling who could keep up with the twins, whether they were talking or working on a puzzle together. Mary and Jane joined Emily and Abe, talking quietly with them while they waited.

Ben, Abigail, Riley, and Jacqui stood back and watched. "Are you sure this is the right idea, Ben?" Riley asked quietly. "Letting them take over the hunt like this?"

"They'd all kick up a fuss if we tried to stop them," Ben explained, watching with amusement as Jane blushed at something Abe told her. "This way, we _know_ what they're up to and can help out if they need it."

Abigail leaned in from her place on Ben's other side. "_Only_ if they ask for help."

"Let them try to do it themselves," Jacqui added.

The two men nodded, though Ben's was more reluctant. He'd been looking forward to this treasure hunt.

**End Chapter**


	8. Tiny Treasures

**8. Tiny Treasures**

Age may have lent wisdom and dignity to Ben's looks, but it had done nothing for his attitude. He was proud that his children were becoming every inch the treasure hunters that so many members of their family had been throughout history, but part of him was feeling a little left out. After all, the lost gold of Jean Lafitte had been his father's treasure hunt and he felt obligated to be the one to finish it. The kids had even seen fit to include his mother, giving her some measure of comfort in the endeavor to finish her husband's final treasure hunt, but in their zeal to uncover the truth, they seemed to have forgotten about the generation before them completely.

When the Gates family arrived home, Ben briefly embraced his wife and kissed her temple before retreating to his den. His disappointment was starting to cloud his mood and he didn't want to discourage the kids. Emily Anne had insisted upon coming home with them to help Charlotte with the translation of the vase and Ben needed a break from their break-neck pace. Ben flipped a pair of light switches on the wall just inside the den as he entered, illuminating the desk light and the wall-length bookcase with an electronic dartboard built into the center. He crossed the room, took up a set of three darts, and strode back across the room to a suitable distance before throwing the first dart. There was a short knock at the door and Will poked his head into the room. Ben stopped and turned to see who it was, noticing not for the first time how much Will resembled him at that age.

"Are you okay, dad?" Will asked, emerging the rest of the way into the room. He picked up a set of darts for himself and joined Ben across the room.

"Yeah," Ben said after throwing the second dart. "Why? How's the translation going?"

"I'm lost and Charlie seems to think that she and Emily Anne have a handle on it," Will replied, trading places with his father. "She's the Indo-European Languages major. Digging around in the dirt is more my thing." Ben had to smile as he remembered the first time Will found snail shells in the dirt at the park and had come running, thinking he'd found dinosaur bones. He'd known even then that Will was destined for a career in archaeology.

"Are they getting anywhere or is Emily Anne just making her feel stupid?" Ben teased.

"The last thing I tolerated before Abe and I left the room was 'honestly, don't you two read?'" Will replied, doing his own impression of Emily Anne's voice. The two switched places again and there was silence for a space of a few beats before Will spoke again.

"I know…" he started and then hesitated as if he wasn't sure if what he wanted to say was going to help or hurt. "I know that you're not okay. I know that this was Grandpa's treasure hunt and we've kinda pulled the rug out from under you, mom, and Uncle Riley, and even Grandma to some degree. I don't know how it happened, but it did and I'm sorry." Ben sighed softly, nodded in acknowledgement of the apology and stared at a spot on the floor trying to regain his focus. Ben looked up and finished his turn, resting his hand on his son's broad shoulder as they traded places. Will looked at his father and waited for a reply.

"I spent a lot of years fighting with Grandpa and resenting him for the decisions he made. I don't want the same thing to happen to me and my children," Ben said. "All I want is for you and Charlotte and Abe to keep us in the loop the way you're including your grandma. You don't know how proud I am that all of my children are so smart and so strong…your grandpa always made sure that the people in his life knew how much he loved them and I can do no less."

Will didn't respond right away, simply tried to nod away un-masculine tears and finally stopped fighting it as he threw his arms around his father, hugging him tightly and assuring him that they would try harder to keep him in on the action. They each took a moment to compose themselves, smile, and then finish their game.

When Emily Anne left the Gates' house, Charlotte dragged the arm-full of books she and Emily Anne had been using back up to her room. She plunked them unceremoniously onto the desk top and a small painted bottle that Patrick had given her tipped and fell from the desk. It didn't break when it hit the carpeted floor, but Charlotte panicked all the same, dropping to the floor to extract the cork from the top from beneath her bed, and then turning to locate the bottle and pull it out from under her desk. For the first time since her grandpa had given the pretty opaque white bottle to her, she noticed that there was something inside. She shook the bottle carefully and the rattle of paper and another small hard object bumped about inside. She managed to get the delicate, tightly rolled parchment out of the bottle and gingerly unrolled it. There before her was a letter, written in code, from her grandfather. Charlotte jumped up, bottle and paper in hand, and with practiced precision, typed the code into the word processor of her computer, using the replace feature to slowly start to break the code. For a few minutes, she debated which letter was the key to what Charlotte thought might be a simple letter-offset code. She sat back a moment later, grinning and whispered, "The most important letter in his alphabet…M, for Grandma Em." Charlotte clicked and typed and seconds later, she had translated the code and printed it before crawling up onto her bed to read.

_My Dear Charlotte, _

_If you're reading this, it must have been a rough day. If this little bottle is still on your desk only a jolt from your distinctive frustrations could have made it jump from its place. Take a deep breath, sweetheart, I'm sure you're doing beautifully. If you've managed to decode this there is a strong possibility that I am no longer with you. Kiss your beautiful grandmother for me, give your father a big hug, and assure everyone that I love you all very much. Did you find the thimble? It belonged to the wife of a pirate lieutenant employed by Jean Lafitte. You can ask your father, I'm sure he remembers the tale. Let this little token be a reminder that kindness and respect are required, trust is earned, and gratitude is never forgotten. I have every hope that you and your brothers will help to finish this quest I've started. Dry your eyes, my darling, and don't cry for me anymore. I'll be there in your hearts every step of the way. Remember, all of you are my pride—my family—and my joy. _

_Love, _

_Grandpa Pat_

By the time she finished reading, tears obscured her vision and she picked up the bottle again and finally coaxed out a bit of linen cloth wrapped around a delicate gold thimble. She rolled it in her hand for a moment, still crying and wondering how long this had been in her possession and how long ago her grandpa had had the foresight to leave her such a precious letter.

Emily happened to be walking by as Charlotte sobbed in renewed misery and stopped to listen at the door as if to be sure that she was hearing correctly.

"Charlie?" Emily called, knocking lightly on the door before she entered. Her eyes widened as she crossed the room and immediately sitting on the edge of the bed before pulling her granddaughter into her arms and holding her there as she rocked, whispering, "Shhhh…what is it, sweet one? Oh, Charlie, what's wrong?"

"Grandma, look…" Charlotte whimpered, wiping her eyes and sniffling as Emily looked over the letter. She choked up as she realized who the author of the letter was, and tears spilled over her eyes as her husband's love poured from his own words to his granddaughter. Charlotte wrapped her arms around Emily's shoulders as they cried and they were quiet for a moment as Emily held the delicate parchment to her chest and closed her eyes. Charlotte rested her head on Emily's shoulder and said, "We have to find it, Grandma. We just have to."

"We will, sweetheart," Emily said, determinedly. "I promise you, we will."

* * *

The next morning, when Emily showed Ben the letter that Charlotte found, he had almost had to sit down. A tear rolled down his cheek as he leaned to kiss the top of his mother's head.

"I wonder how long she had this…" Ben said softly. "She had this clue the whole time."

"A clue?" Emily said, taking the printed letter from him and scanning it again.

"What do you mean, dad?" Charlotte said, looking up from her place on the sofa.

"He mentioned the thimble specifically. That line about respect and kindness…he used to tell me that all the time. He had to know that there was something I needed to do to help you kids find the treasure," Ben explained.

"But what is it? We've taught the kids everything we know," Abigail said, her arms folded over her chest. A beat of time passed before Charlotte's cell phone rang. She put it on speaker when she saw that it was Emily Anne and answered it.

"What's up, Emily Anne?" Charlotte asked.

"I've identified that Creole song. It's one that's reputed to have been a favorite of Lafitte and documented letters from family and associates say that it was something he sang when he was at home," Emily Anne replied. She seemed to be reading from a book or journal she was flipping through.

"So, we have to go to where Lafitte's home was," Charlotte said.

"That's the problem," Emily Anne said. "Which one?"

"What do you mean, which one?" Charlotte said.

"Lafitte had homes all over the gulf over the years," Emily Anne reported.

"So where do we start?" Charlotte asked.

"Where anything and everything about Lafitte starts: Barataria Bay," Emily Anne said. Charlotte whirled to look at her father and Ben rose from the sofa.

"I'll make some phone calls," he said.

"I'll start packing," Abigail said.

"Call the Pooles," Charlotte said to Will, who had been sitting across from her. "We're going to need the whole crew if we're going to cover all of those islands. Emmie Annie, are you guys in?" She could almost feel Emily Anne flinching over her childhood nickname.

"Would we miss this?" she retorted. "Maggie is already going to find mom and dad, and Jamie's on the phone with Meri. If we don't beat you guys there, we'll be hot on your heels. Did you figure out the code?"

"Still working. I've got all the lines written out but it just doesn't make sense," Charlotte said. The television in the Gates home was on in the background just loudly enough for background noise, and Abe looked up at the screen to see two characters with a treasure map pacing the screen as the directions on the map implied. Abe tipped his head to one side, looking at the scene as it played out…steps…different directions…a treasure map…

"Where's that code?" Abe suddenly demanded.

"Why?" Emily asked, glancing at her grandson in wonder.

"Charlie—where's the code?" Abe demanded again.

"Here," Charlotte said, handing him a sheet with the code written on it. "What's going on, Abe?"

"I think I've got it!" Abe laughed. "Look—four letters, right? N, E, W, S. Cardinal directions, Charlie!"

"I thought of that already!" Charlotte shot back. "The numbers don't make sense as latitude and longitude markings!"

"They're not latitude and longitude," Abe said. "They're steps--the number of steps in each cardinal direction from a given point to where the clues are hidden. There are three sets of steps so there must be three different clues in three different places." Abe's family looked at him alternately as if he'd grown a second head and that he had just solved the problem of global warming.

"That's brilliant, darling!" Emily said.

"That's only half of the answer," Will said. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"You heard Emily Anne—Barataria Bay. There are three main islands in the bay. We have to start there," said Abe.

"Emily Anne…" Charlotte said.

"We're on it!" Emily Anne called back. "Dad wants to know where you want us to go."

"You're all coming?" Ben asked.

"Do you really think our mom would miss out on her first treasure hunt?" Emily Anne teased. Charlotte, Will, and Abe looked at one another and then back at their parents. Charlotte grinned. Will was on the phone and held it to his shoulder to look back at his twin.

"Uncle Riley says they're on the next flight as soon as we tell them where to go," Will reported. Charlotte took a deep breath and looked at her family, the gleam of adventure returning excitement to the mood of the room. Even their grandmother seemed energized at the idea of rushing out to find the lost pirate treasure.

"All right," Charlotte said, taking charge of the conversation. "Will—tell Uncle Riley that they should head for Isle Grand Terre, Emily Anne—take your family and go to Grand Isle. We're on our way to Fifi Isle." Abigail and Emily rose quickly, rushing to pack. Will gave the Pooles details they would need and Charlotte finished up with Emily Anne while Abe raced to help their father make travel arrangements. It seemed the long lost gold of Jean Lafitte wasn't so far from their fingertips after all.

**End Chapter**


	9. Treasure Maps

**9. Treasure Maps**

The three families checked into the same hotel near Barataria Bay over the course of the day. As they settled their luggage in their rooms, they trickled downstairs and out to the pool/lounge area. Margaret and Emily Anne were two of the first to reach the area, wearing shorts and tank tops in deference to the summer heat. They immediately sat down at one of the tables with the tourist maps of the various islands they'd managed to acquire. As they worked, Jacob mused that they were like fire and water. Emily Anne, though older by a year, was shorter than her sister by a couple inches. She'd inherited her father's red hair and her mother's brown eyes while Margaret had inherited her mother's pale blonde hair and her father's green eyes. The elder of the two had always had a more capricious temper while the younger had always tended to be more easygoing and calm.

Despite these differences, they'd always got along well, with Margaret often able to soothe her sister's ruffled feathers. Sometimes, though, Emily Anne managed to stir her placid sister into taking action of one kind or another. Especially when Charlotte joined them, like she was doing at that very moment. Wearing a halter-top and shorts, she was clearly asking what they were doing.

While the Bonner sisters explained, Cris, wearing a baggy T-shirt and denim cutoffs, appeared at Charlie's elbow, soon followed by Jane and Mary, both of whom were dressed more like Charlie than Cris, not that that was a surprise. Cris was the least feminine of the three girls, if that was possible. The table was soon hidden with all six girls gathered around it and Jacob noticed more than one pair of male eyes watching the group.

At that moment, Nadya sat down in the lounge chair next to her husband's. Like her daughters, she'd changed into a tank top and shorts and had pulled her long blonde hair back into a plait that she almost sat on. "What are you looking at that's making you frown?"

"The girls have drawn attention to themselves," Jacob informed his wife, gesturing subtly with one hand.

"I noticed that," Nadya commented with a smirk. "And so have certain other parties."

"What?" He blinked and stared at his wife. At her gesture, he looked at the pool in time to watch as Meriwether and William worked together to send a huge splash towards the girls. It mostly hit Charlotte and Emily Anne, but some of it got Margaret and Cris, too. Jane and Mary were only lightly sprinkled.

"Will! You're dead meat when I get you!" Charlie shrieked, quickly pulling off her halter-top and shorts to reveal that she'd been wearing a two-piece bathing suit underneath.

"Meri!" Emily Anne screeched, also stripping down to her bathing suit.

Both boys lazily backstroked away from the edge of the pool as Meri taunted their sisters. "Just try and catch us."

"You almost ruined the maps," Margaret commented almost conversationally as she added _her_ tank top and shorts to the pile.

Cris' T-shirt and cutoffs joined the pile next. Like Margaret, she wore a one-piece suit. "Maggie worked very hard on them."

"And you almost ruined them," Jane added, her clothes joining the others. Her suit was a two-piece.

Mary's clothes were the last to join the pile, revealing a one-piece suit. "Prepare to meet your doom!"

"I told you it was a bad idea!" Abe crowed from the other end of the pool, where he and Jamie had been perched, watching the proceedings.

That turned out to be a mistake. The two older brothers turned and swam for their respective younger brothers while the girls piled into the pool to go after the boys. The other patrons quickly scrambled for the sides as Will and Meri yanked Abe and Jamie into the water just as Emily Anne and Charlie caught up with them. A melee of splashing and dunking followed. "Should somebody go referee?"

"Nah, let the kids get it out of their systems," Ben commented, having arrived in time to see what had prompted the pool fight. "Let's go look at what the girls were working on."

Jacob glanced over at the pool in time to see Emily Anne wrestle Jamie under the water, only to screech when Meri pulled her under, too. Jamie popped up just in time for Mary to dunk him. "I think I'll go make sure the kids don't drown each other in their enthusiasm."

"Suit yourself." Ben shrugged and continued on to the girls' abandoned table, where Emily was already examining the maps the girls had been working on.

Getting up, Jacob pulled off his T-shirt and stepped out of his sandals, leaving both on his lounge chair. Smirking, Nadya looked him over appreciatively. "You're in trouble tonight, Jay."

"I look forward to it." He winked at her and strolled over to slip into the pool.

Noticing that Abe had been underwater for a while, he reached over and pulled the sixteen-year-old up. Pushing his sandy blond curls out of his gray eyes, the teen gratefully dragged air into his lungs. "Thanks, Uncle Jacob."

"Not at all, Abe. Just be careful who you taunt next time." Jacob grinned, ruffling his adopted nephew's curls.

Before the boy could reply, he was dragged underwater, flailing as he went. Jane's strawberry blonde head popped up next, a smirk on her lips. "Hi, Uncle Jacob!"

"Hey, Janie." He smiled, watching as Abe surfaced a few feet away, looking a little dazed.

Jacob raised an eyebrow when the boy raised his hand to touch his lips and looked at his niece. "Are we being sneaky again?"

"I have no idea what you mean." Jane smirked and swam over to dunk Jamie, who'd finally managed to get a few moments free of the girls.

At that moment, Jacqui swam over to join her twin brother. "Your daughter is dangerous."

"Which one? I have three," Jacqui lifted herself onto the step beside her brother.

He pointed over to where Jane had joined Abe on the edge of the pool, grinning as she made a comment that made him blush. "Janie."

"How is she dangerous?" his sister inquired curiously as Jamie and Mary climbed out of the pool and wandered over to slip into the Jacuzzi.

They watched as Charlotte and Emily Anne attempted to dunk their brothers, with help from Margaret and Cris. When the two boys finally disappeared underwater, Jacob explained his comment; "I have reason to believe that she managed to kiss Abe while they were underwater just a few moments ago."

"If it'd been Cris or Mary, I'd have said you were crazy." Jacqui laughed as Emily walked over to the pair in question and draped towels over their shoulders. "Since it's Jane, though, I'm inclined to believe you."

By now, Will and Meri were busy racing each other up and down the pool. Charlie and Emily Anne watched them while Cris and Margaret joined Jamie and Mary in the Jacuzzi. "I think it's safe to say no one's going to drown this time."

"I think you're right." Jacqui waited until Jacob had climbed out, accepting the helping hand he offered her.

As she walked over to where she'd left her towel and clothes by her husband's chair, Riley gave a wolf-whistle of appreciation. "That's my sister you're whistling at, Poole!"

"She's my wife, Bonner, I'll whistle if I like!" Riley grinned at the good-natured protest from his brother-in-law.

Chuckling, Jacob walked over to where Nadya waited. She grinned at him before letting out a wolf-whistle of her own. He grinned and leaned down to kiss her once he reached her side. "I love you, too."

"You are _definitely_ in trouble tonight," she murmured, pulling him into a deeper kiss.

***

Emily watched fondly as the three families talked and laughed their way through dinner. The kids were all mixed up together, boy and girl, Gates, Poole, and Bonner, with the adults scattered amongst them. It certainly didn't escape the matriarch's attention that Jane made a point of sitting next to Abe while Emily Anne calmly--for once!--accepted the chair Will pulled out for her. None of the other four girls seemed to care who they ended up sitting beside. She smiled to herself, pleased.

After dessert, they moved en masse to an unoccupied lounge area. Emily gladly sat down with Abe taking the ottoman by her feet. Jane curled up on the floor next to Abe and the others ranged themselves in the area around them, with Ben seated next to his mother with Abigail on his other side. Once everyone was settled, Ben took charge, "Okay, everyone. Maggie and Emily Anne have discovered a slight issue with the paths on Fifi Isle and Isle Grande Terre. Ladies, would you like to explain?"

"Well, the basic problem is that the directions provided will eventually end in the water for both islands," Margaret explained, blushing a little at having everyone's attention on her. "For Fifi Isle, it ends in the coral reef while Isle Grande Terre's ends off the State Park Fishing Pier."

"We can use the scuba gear to take care of the coral reef," Charlotte mused aloud from where she was sprawled on the carpet in front of Will and Meri. Then she glanced at her father. "Right, Dad?"

Ben frowned for a moment in thought. "If it's shallow enough, we might be able to get away with snorkeling, like they do for the Great Barrier Reef."

"We might want to ask Aunt Laurie to send our gear anyway," Will suggested quietly. "Just in case."

Ben nodded, smiling a little. "I was planning on that."

"What about you, Uncle Riley?" Abe asked, though his question was addressed more to the Poole family as a whole. "You don't scuba dive."

Riley grinned. "No, but I'm sure Cris can design a robot that Mary will build and Jane will program that will do our searching for us."

"Try not to get a ticket for it, though," Ben commented with a smirk.

All four of Riley's 'girls' giggled as he glared at his best friend. "Not funny, Ben."

"So, the directions for Grand Isle don't lead you off the island?" Abigail asked Margaret once everyone had calmed down.

Margaret nodded. "Yes. I have no doubts that Meri will be able to lead us there without a problem."

"But I'll be on Isle Grande Terre," Mary replied with a playful grin.

Margaret threw a pen at her cousin. "Not you!"

"I know." Mary easily dodged the pen, smirking.

Ben interrupted them before anything more could start. "Is there anything else?" No one said anything. "All right. Obviously, we won't all be able to start searching tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you should wait," this was addressed to the Bonner family. "Go ahead and carry on with the search. We'll start once we have our equipment."

"Aye-aye, Sir!" Jacob snapped off a salute, smirking.

On that note, they started breaking up to head up to their hotel rooms. Emily was sharing with her granddaughter and graciously let her use the bathroom first. Wrapping Patrick's robe around herself, she went out onto the balcony that looked out over the bay. She closed her eyes and let the breeze blow through her curls. _I miss you, Pat._

_I miss you, too, Em, but they need you right now._

_What about me? __**I**__ need __**you**__._

_When the time is right, we'll be together again._

_After we find the treasure?_

_I don't know. Just don't forget that I love you..._

"How can I forget?"

Emily didn't realize she'd said that aloud until Charlotte's voice interrupted her. "How can you forget what, Grandma?"

"Nothing, Charlie." She quickly wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Are you done in the bathroom?"

"Yeah." Charlotte nodded. "It's free now."

"Thank you." Emily went into the bathroom to prepare for bed. There was no telling what tomorrow would bring.

**End Chapter**


	10. Charlie's Treasure

**10. Charlie's Treasure**

Charlotte wasn't sure at first what woke her. Squinting at the clock without moving more than her eyes, she knew that it was still the very early hours of the morning. Again without moving her body, Charlotte took a deep, quiet breath and listened. There in the darkness, obscured only by the distance between the beds and the covers over her face, Charlotte could hear her grandmother crying. Not just little sniffles either—there were definite sobs of an ache that no time would ever soothe. It had been less than a year since Grandpa Patrick passed away so it didn't necessarily surprise her that her grandma was still mourning his loss, but it broke Charlotte's heart to hear her so miserable. She debated getting up, crawling in bed with her grandma and holding her, trying to provide some comfort, but decided against it, thinking that perhaps it would make it worse if she knew that she had woken her. Charlotte tugged an extra pillow into her arms and bit her lip to hold back tears of her own as she drifted back to sleep. She hoped in the deepest recesses of her being that her grandma was going to be all right.

In the morning, Charlotte made a beeline for the coffee machine in the lobby. Will raised an eyebrow when Charlotte looked at him and she lowered her eyes and shook her head.

"Don't ask," she muttered.

"Dad says that our equipment should be here this morning," Will said.

"Good," Charlotte said. "I really want to get going." Will repressed the urge to demand an explanation for Charlotte's mood, but decided against it for the moment as the other members of their party arrived. The first wave consisted of the parents and Grandma Emily, and the other was a mass of chatter and laughter. Will and Charlotte joined them as people got their breakfast and found places to sit in the nicely decorated café.

Charlotte slumped into a seat beside Meri and across from his sisters, Emily Anne and Maggie.

"Rough night?" Emily Anne asked, munching on lady-like bites of melon.

"You've got no idea," Charlotte mumbled.

"It can't be that bad. You only had to share with Grandma Em," Maggie said.

"Yeah. I guess it's not that bad when you put it that way," Charlotte said, faking a smile. She turned and looked around to see where the others were purely out of curiosity and noticed that Abe and Jane's heads were suspiciously close together.

"You know, if they're trying to hide it, they're doing a pretty poor job of it," Meri said, dunking forkfuls of pancake into a little dish of maple syrup. Charlotte chuckled and nodded. She finished her own breakfast and got up, deciding that she wanted to go check her email. When she was out of earshot, Emily Anne gave her brother a concerned look.

"What's gotten into her today?" Emily Anne asked softly.

"You heard her, she didn't sleep well," Meri said.

"There's more to it," Maggie said. "There's something else wrong."

"How do you know that?" Meri demanded.

"I don't know—a girl just knows these things about another girl," Maggie said, getting up to take care of her dishes and taking the other empty dishes with her out of habit.

From another table, Abigail watched Charlotte leave the room but said nothing until Meri got up to follow her.

"How long have they been an item?" she muttered, leaning into Ben's shoulder and gesturing with a nod.

"Who?" Jacqui said, turning in her chair.

"Meri's had a thing for Charlotte since preschool. I'm not surprised," Nadya said.

"Preschool?" Jacob said giving his wife a suspiciously raised eyebrow.

"What do you think has Charlie so spooked this morning," Abigail said.

"Want me to go check it out?" Ben offered, passing the coffee when his mother requested it.

"I don't know if we should interfere. Maybe she just needs to talk to him and not us," Abigail mused.

Meri didn't find Charlotte in the hotel's computer room or in the room she was sharing with Grandma Em. He turned and retraced his steps downstairs, finally finding her sitting on a lounger by the pool. He entered the enclosed pool area and slowly approached and then sat down beside her. She was deep in a book she was pretending to read and Meri slowly placed his hand on the book and lowered it so that he could face her properly.

"What's going on?" he asked simply. Charlotte lowered the book the rest of the way to her lap as Meri affectionately stroked her arm. She didn't look at him at first, but when she did, Meri had never seen such a profound sadness there before.

"I've just been thinking," Charlotte mumbled.

"About what?" Meri asked, the water glistening off his strawberry blonde hair and green eyes.

"I just…I don't know if this is going to work out, Meri…" she said. Meri sat stunned for a moment. Things had been going so well for them…*very* well as a matter of fact. He had been planning on dropping the "L" word before the trip was out and now this.

"What are you talking about? Did I do something wrong?" he asked, turning his body a little more to face her. There was a developing tremble in his hands from the shock of this statement and it took all of his concentration to keep it out of his voice.

"No!" Charlotte said, suddenly consoling. "No, Meri, you didn't do anything wrong…it's me. I just don't think I can do it." Meri turned to look at the pool, gathering his thoughts in vain—they were everywhere in his mind—before he looked at her again.

"Are you sure about this?" he said, finding it harder and harder to look at her. Charlotte bit her lip and nodded, tears gathering in her bright blue eyes. Meri had been clutching Charlotte's hand until this point, and now he gave it a desperate squeeze before he let it go, standing without a word and turning to leave the pool area without looking back. He needed to be alone and he needed it now. He was met unexpectedly at the door by Ben.

"Hi," Meri said, edging past him. Ben stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked. Meri shook his head and brushed Ben's hand away before raising his own in helplessness. "Ask Charlotte," Meri said, leaving Ben in a confused state of panic. What had just happened here? When Ben sat down to talk to Charlotte, the story he got was the last thing he expected out of his headstrong, brainy, beautiful daughter. He gave her a consoling hug and kissed her forehead before he stood and said he was going to leave her alone for a while. Charlotte nodded and stared out at the softly rippling water in the pool, miserable but somehow feeling as though she did what she had to do.

Ben returned to the café and rested a hand on his mother's shoulder, softly whispering into her ear. Emily reacted in dismayed surprise to this news and nodded when Ben asked if she would go and speak to Charlotte. Clearly upset, Emily set her napkin on the table and left the room, bound for the pool room.

"What's all that about?" Abigail asked as Ben sat down. Ben responded by stroking Abigail's cheek and softly kissing her. She smiled, but softly asked him what she did to earn that.

"After the conversation I just had, I felt the urge to remind my wife that I love her," Ben whispered, placing his next kiss on her ear.

* * *

"Charlotte?" Emily said, entering the pool area and crossing it to sit with her only granddaughter. "What's going on, sweetheart?" Charlotte scooted over so that Emily had more space on the lounger and Emily wound an arm around her shoulders as Charlotte leaned into her shoulder.

"It had to be done," Charlotte choked out. "I couldn't bear the thought…"

"The thought of what, honey?" Emily said.

"I…I don't want us to someday be like you and Grandpa," Charlotte wept. Emily thought she knew what Charlotte meant, but turned the tables all the same.

"You mean, you don't want to spend your life with the one man you really love?"

"I…didn't say…"

"You don't want to be able to get into arguments simply to make up again?" Emily continued. "You don't want to see yourselves with children and grandchildren that make you so proud you could burst?"

"I don't want to lose him, Grandma!" Charlotte sobbed. "I don't want to someday lose him and be lost and miserable without him!" Emily embraced Charlotte as she wept, suddenly ashamed that she'd allowed herself to cry so hard last night as she had thought of Patrick holding her close again. As she held Charlotte it suddenly dawned on her that the effect must not have been just on Charlotte; surely it must have made an impression on Will, too, and especially on Abe, who was so close to her to begin with. A resolve sprung in Emily and she gently brushed away her granddaughter's tears before her own. She then turned Charlotte to face her and took a breath before speaking.

"Now, you listen to me," Emily said gently. "Death is a part of our lives. We can't stop it from happening, Charlie, and we can't stop ourselves from getting our hearts broken when we lose someone we love, but you and Meri are still so young, sweetheart. There's nothing to be afraid of, Charlie."

"Meri's in the navy, grandma…he could be killed and I'd…" she pleaded.

"Your father's in the navy," Emily countered. "Nothing's happened to him that he couldn't handle."

"I'm being selfish," Charlotte whimpered. "I'm selfish and now look what I've done!" Emily finally started to smile. She had personal experience tied to that statement.

"I was selfish once. I made myself believe that my career was more important than my love for your grandfather. I left him—didn't speak to him for 32 years—and then when your father needed help finding the city of gold there your grandpa was again, just as handsome and charming as he'd always been. I fought it—like I fought everything—but I never really had fallen out of love with him. I'm sure you remember that we married again not long before you and Will were born and we never looked back. That's what I'm going to tell you now, Charlie. If you want to be with Meri, you be with him. You love that young man and don't you look back, not at your parents, not at me, not anyone. Do you understand me?" Emily said. Charlotte wrapped her arms around her grandmother and Emily held her tight for a while as they both finished crying. Emily stroked Charlotte's hair and kissed her forehead before she got up and said with a smile, "Well, I'm off. Would you like me to send Meri here to talk to you?" Charlotte shook her head.

"No. I'll go to him. I owe him that much," she said.

When Charlotte knocked on the door of the room Meri was sharing with his brother, Jamie, Will let her in. He was there with Jamie and Abe, trying to console Meri. Will gave her a pointed look but he didn't speak, too disappointed in his twin sister for words.

"Would you guys mind leaving us alone for a little while? I need to say something to Meri," Charlotte said gently. Without a word, the others left the room, Jamie's eyes red-rimmed as if he'd been crying with his big brother. Will wrapped his arm around Jamie's neck and pulled him into a manly squeeze as they wandered down the hall and Charlotte closed the door behind her.

When Charlotte sat down on the floor in front of where Meri sat on the edge of the bed, he didn't meet her eyes.

"I owe you an apology. I got scared of something I really didn't need to be afraid of and I thought that if I avoided the situation that I could keep from getting my heart broken," Charlotte began.

"How'd that work for you?" Meri asked sarcastically. Charlotte winced.

"I deserved that. What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry and being without you even for that little space of time hurt me more than—" Whatever would have been left of her apology was drowned as Meri reached for her and cupped her face in his hands, pulling her to him to kiss her. Charlotte reacted accordingly, rising to her knees and leaning into the kiss, taking in Meri's enthusiastic reaction. They parted only to drag in much needed air before Meri stroked back Charlotte's long straight blonde hair and kissed her again as she stood and joined him on the bed where she leaned into his arms more properly.

"Do you think we should do something?" Jamie asked as the boys listened at the door.

"No," Will said. "They won't go that far—not yet."

"How do you know?" Jamie asked as he followed Will down the corridor. Abe chuckled as Will turned and walked backwards a few paces to look at the young teen properly.

"Hey—a twin brother knows these things!"

**End Chapter**


	11. Everyone's Treasure

**11. Everyone's Treasure**

Charlotte was in a much happier state of mind when she joined Emily out on their balcony half an hour later. "Thanks, Grandma."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." Emily smiled faintly while Charlotte kissed her cheek and sat down on the other chair. "Have the Bonners left for Grand Isle, then?"

The young woman nodded, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as she enjoyed the sun. "They just left a few minutes ago."

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" She waited until Charlotte nodded. "What happened that made you decide to break up with Meri in the first place?"

After a long silence, Charlotte answered in a low voice. "I heard you crying last night." Emily started, but didn't react in any other way. "I've never known you to cry like that and it scared me to think that I could be like that one day." She turned her head to look at her grandmother, blue-gray eyes sheepish. "I even thought about crawling into bed with you, like I used to do when I'd had a nightmare."

"Why didn't you?" Emily was truly curious and a tiny bit hurt that Charlotte had decided not to in the end.

Charlotte shrugged. "I thought you'd feel worse if you knew you'd woken me up."

"For a time, yes, but I would have been very comforted if you'd _had_ crawled into bed with me." Emily was sincere, reaching over to rest her hand on Charlotte's arm. "I was feeling very alone last night. If you'd joined me, I wouldn't have been so sad."

Staring at Emily for a moment, Charlotte nodded, a shy smile appearing. "I'll remember that."

"Good." Emily patted her granddaughter's arm and sat back to enjoy the beautiful weather.

When Will arrived an hour later to tell them that the scuba equipment had arrived, he found both of them asleep, smiling serenely.

***

Rather than listen to his sisters argue over which path would take them closest to where they needed to go, Meri simply plucked the map from Margaret's hands and took only a few moments to determine which path they needed. Choosing completely different path from two one that his sisters had been arguing over, he gestured for the others to follow him. "This way."

"I'd object, but it's Meri." Emily Anne commented to Margaret as they started down the path after their brother, pleased to see him in such a good mood.

The blonde nodded, but said nothing; though it was obvious she was happy for her brother, too. Jacob moved past his children to catch up with his oldest. "Everything all right with you and Charlie now?"

"Yeah." Meri grinned crookedly at his father. "She forgot that the happiness of being with the one you love would outweigh any grief you may face after losing them."

Jacob nodded, understanding now why Ben had asked Emily to talk to Charlotte. "You know, I told your mom to move on without me while I was in jail."

"Obviously, she didn't." His son smirked, pausing at a fork in the path to consult the map in his hands. Choosing a branch, he began walking again.

In reply, Jacob chuckled. "Yes, and you know what she told me when I asked why she waited for me instead of finding someone else?"

"That you're an idiot if you thought she was going to try to find someone else when she'd already found you?" Meri grinned again, green eyes twinkling with mischief.

Sighing, Jacob glanced over his shoulder at Nadya, who was bringing up the rear of their little parade with Jamie. "She told you already, didn't she?"

"I overheard her telling Emily Anne and Maggie," Meri explained, stepping off the path and beginning to blaze a trail that was more or less straight. He looked down slightly to meet his father's gaze. "After this morning, I understand completely why she would rather wait."

Jacob nodded, reaching up to rest a hand on his son's muscular shoulder. "Good. Though I trust you and Charlie will still be adults about your relationship."

"Of course, Dad." Meri rolled his eyes as he came to stop, examining the map once more. "This is where the path stops."

They waited patiently for the others to join them. "Jamie?"

"Yes, Dad." The thirteen-year-old pulled a device out of his backpack that worked as a metal detector, except it could be programmed to detect anything that was out of the ordinary for the type of ground he was scanning over with it. The rest of the family stood back while he slowly moved the device over the ground. It beeped several times and he pointed. "This is the most likely spot."

Nodding, everyone worked together to set up camp, making sure to erect their extra tent over the spot Jamie had indicated. It would keep people from wondering just what they were doing.

***

After checking their scuba equipment, the Gates family headed over to Fifi Isle. On the ferry ride over, Will approached his twin. "You and Meri okay now?"

"If you haven't figured _that_ out, you're not my twin," Charlotte retorted, the smile on her lips belying her words.

Smiling back, Will leaned on the railing next to her. "Why did you try to break up with him in the first place? You saw what happened with Emily Anne and I."

"I panicked, I guess." Charlotte was utterly serious for once, looking out over the water. "Seeing how much Grandpa's death has affected Grandma really unsettled me."

Will raised an eyebrow. "You didn't stop to think about how happy Mom and Dad are right now? Or Uncle Riley and Aunt Jacqui? Or--"

"Stop, Will." She rested her hand over his. "Grandma reminded me that, yes, losing Meri would be painful, but the joy of whatever time we'll have together will help ease that pain."

Her twin nodded, smiling faintly. "That's pretty much what Dad told me when I tried to break up with Emily Anne."

"Let me guess, he also suggested that you two keep it low-key until she turns 18." Charlotte grinned playfully, more like herself now.

Will didn't even deign to reply. "I hope Abe doesn't get the same idea about him and Jane."

"It's still puppy love for those two," she commented, looking towards the back of the ferry, where Abe and Emily were talking and enjoying the ride.

They laughed and their talk turned to other matters. At the back of the ferry, Abe asked, "Grandpa really pretended he was sinking in quicksand?"

"Yes, the silly idiot thought it'd be a funny trick to play on me." Emily shook her, her fond smile tinged with sadness.

Grinning, Abe commented, "I bet he regretted it once you realized it was a trick."

"Perhaps a little, since I started beating him with the branch I'd grabbed to help him out of the quicksand." She sighed softly. "I was mad as hell at him for tricking me like that, but it's rather funny in retrospect."

"I can imagine." Abe wrapped his arm around Emily's shoulders and squeezed gently. She smiled and leaned into him with another small sigh. She still missed Patrick, but it had been good to talk about him.

They reached the island soon after and headed for the part of the beach where the path Margaret had marked went out into the water. Ben and Charlotte stripped down to their bathing suits and put on snorkel masks, swimming out to the spot to check it out.

***

The Poole family, in the meantime, had headed out to the Grand Terre State Park Fishing Pier. Ostensibly, they needed to know what sort of environment their robot was going to need to contend with before they built it. In reality, Riley and Jacqui had wanted a chance to just let their daughters have some fun for a day. Surprisingly, Jane stayed close to her parents' side while the other two wandered off to explore. Concerned, Riley wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong with my best girl?"

"I'm not your best girl, Mom's your best girl," Jane responded with her usual comment, but it was obvious that her heart wasn't in it.

Exchanging a glance with his wife, Riley waited until Jacqui had left to catch up with the other two. "What's the matter, Janie?"

"I've been thinking about the problem with Charlie and Meri this morning," she admitted after a few moments.

He'd half-expected that that would have been on Jane's mind. "What about it? They sorted it out."

"Yeah, but part of me is afraid that Abe will try to do the same thing, for the same reason." Jane looked very serious, something that was unusual for her.

Riley shook his head. "He may consider it, but he'd decide against it for the same reason Charlie gave up the idea. You two are happiest together, regardless of how long that may be."

"I can't help worrying." She pushed her hair back behind her ear.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and offered it to her. "If you're that worried, call him and ask him if he's going to try to break up with you."

"That's not exactly something we can discuss on the phone, Dad." She gave him a look that suggested the idea that she thought he had a few screws loose.

"You'll have to trust him to be smart about this," Riley told her seriously, tucking his cell phone back into his pocket. "He saw what happened, just like the rest of us. He'll make the right choice."

Jane nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Right. Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Janie." Together they started after the rest of their family, heading for the fishing pier so they could gather the data they needed first.

**End Chapter**

A/N: The story Emily tells Abe is from MissKellyAnne's fic, _Excitement, Adrenaline, and Tequila_.


	12. Closer to the Treasure

**12. ****Closer to the Treasure**

"This place is incredible…" Maggie breathed as she stared at the imposing edifice of the plantation's main house and associated outbuildings.

"That depends on which side of the fence you were on," Emily Anne said, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"What do we do from here? We don't even know what we're looking for," Jamie said, stopping to wipe his brow with a handkerchief.

"He's right," Nadya said, looking out at the carefully tended rows of sugar cane as she helped tie down the sides of the tent. "I don't even think we should be here…I have a feeling there's something wrong with this picture."

"Who's tending the crops?" Meri asked, squinting in the bright sun as he took off his sunglasses. "There's no one here."

"It's Sunday and this place is a restoration project. No one's going to be here today," Emily Anne informed them. Jacob took a turn as if to look for possible security personnel.

"This way," Emily Anne said. "The clues said that we need to go where Lafitte went when he was home. Popular legend says he could be found swinging in a hammock and playing his mandolin."

"So this is where the hammock used to be?" Jamie said. He put on the headphones for his metal detector and the device squealed and clicked.

"It's going nuts! This has to be it!" he cried. Emily Anne and Maggie dropped to their knees where the signal was the strongest and after a very short dig they found a small metal chest. Jacob helped the girls pry the top open and inside they found a heavy, leather bound volume of carefully kept documents. Emily Anne and Maggie looked at one another and grinned as they opened it.

"Oh, wow!" Maggie said breathlessly. The maps they found in this book were scrupulously detailed maps of the gulf and all of the various islands, bays, and inlets that made up the Caribbean. "This is incredible!" she squealed softly.

"Where are the routes?" Emily Anne asked out loud.

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked.

"If Lafitte used these maps to get somewhere, he would have marked the routes so that he would remember. There are no ports marked on these maps—no trade routes—no notes even…" Jacob said.

"Maybe that's one of the other clues?" Nadya said. "Maybe there's a way to read the map hidden on one of the other islands?"

"Let's hope your girlfriend is as good as she thinks she is," Emily Anne said, pointing her glance at Meri.

"I think you underestimate the Gates kids," Meri said. "Especially Charlotte."

* * *

"This is amazing!" Abe said, kneeling on the dock and staring out at the bright blue water as Charlotte and Ben snorkeled out to where the coordinates on Maggie's map indicated.

"It'll be amazing if we actually find what we're supposed to find. The clue was measured in footsteps, not swim strokes, and we could be completely off base," Abigail said, scrutinizing the map.

"Is that a lack of faith in the children, or a lack of faith in history?" Emily said, resting her hand on Abigail's shoulder as she sat down on the dock beside her. Abigail was quiet for a moment.

"The other treasures were different," Abigail said softly, a voice meant only for her dowager mother-in-law.

"You knew marrying into this family that conspiracy theories and treasure hunting were part of the tradition," Emily said just as softly, "and so did I."

"My children weren't involved before," Abigail said, lowering her eyes to the lazily lapping water beneath the dock. Emily squeezed Abigail's shoulder sympathetically.

"I've been there, sweetheart," Emily said. "You need to trust. Trust that you and Ben have taught the children what they need to know and that you can continue to help them and be a source of support to them. Patrick and I had to do that with Ben. We didn't always like what he did. We always worried. But in the end he needed us to be there and support him and believe in him and trust him. That's the most difficult thing in the world to ask of a mother—believe me. But we're both here now and both of our children are tied up in this. Can you help me to do what I'm asking of you? Can you help me to trust?" Abigail mulled her mother-in-law's words, finding them hard to accept, but nonetheless true.

"I'll try," was the only reply she could muster. Emily smiled with her trademark strength and nodded.

"That's all I can ask, sweetheart," she said, hugging Abigail before they turned their attention to Abe, who had his binoculars in his hand and was trying to tell them that Charlotte and Ben were on their way back.

"We're going to need the gear," Ben said, climbing back up onto the dock behind Charlotte. "Good thing we sent for it."

"How far down is it?" Emily asked.

"The drop off shelf isn't too deep, but it's deep enough where we're going to need the breathers," Charlotte replied.

"I'm coming, too!" Will said,

"Will, that's not necessary," Abigail objected.

"I didn't learn to scuba dive to miss out on my first underwater dig," Will argued.

"I want to go, too," Abe said, looking from his mother to his father. Abigail bit her lip and refused to look at her children.

"Abigail," Ben said, coming to stand behind her. He placed his wet hands on Abigail's shoulders, making her squirm when his cold, wet fingers dripped water down her bare arms.

"Ben, you're wet!" Abigail said, jerking away from him. Ben's all too familiar crooked grin crossed his face as he swept Abigail up into his arms, carrying her kicking and shouting at him a fair distance from Emily and the kids. When he set her on her feet again, she was flustered and brushing her long hair out of her face. Ben lowered his face to hers, just close enough so that he blocked her from the kids' field of vision. Abigail looked at him imploringly, as if she could dissuade him purely with her eyes. Ben was not to be deterred though. He looked at her through his mile-long eyelashes and batted them at her. It took only seconds for her anger to ebb and she punched Ben's shoulder as he wrapped her up in his arms and hugged her. She clutched him furiously and whispered, "Be careful with our children, please!"

"Trust me, honey; the kids know what they're doing for this. There's nothing fancy about this dive. Straight out, straight down, straight back," Ben murmured reassuringly. Abigail slowly nodded and then kissed Ben's lips before letting him lead her back to the end of the dock by the hand. She sat down beside Emily as Ben and the kids donned wetsuits and tanks in preparation for the dive.

"He batted his eyes at you, didn't he?" Emily asked. Abigail finally started to laugh and Emily along with her. Minutes later, Ben and the kids were away, diving beneath the surface yards from the end of the dock. Abigail bit her lip nervously and Emily wrung her hands as the time passed. Time seemed to slow while they were gone, but when they surfaced, pulling the respirators out of their mouths and shouting jubilantly that they had found a chest, Emily and Abigail hurried to help them get out of the gear before they all watched intently as Ben popped the lock on the chest and opened it.

Inside was a heavily wrapped parcel. When the heavy leather binding and disintegrating linen wrappings were removed, they found a large, telescope-like device. When they dried it and Charlotte looked through one end, she gasped and smiled.

"It's a kaleidoscope!" she cried.

"I want to see!" Will said, taking it from her.

"Me, too!" Abe added.

"Why do you suppose Lafitte would hide a kaleidoscope?" Abigail asked. Ben took the object from Abe after he'd looked through and looked through it himself. When he spun the dial, he noticed that certain elements of the glass didn't move, while others traced swirls and still others created the illusion of trajectories that raced across the viewing field. Ben tilted his head to one side and then looked at the ornately decorated object before looking through it again.

"What is it, Ben?" Emily asked.

"We need a map," Ben said. Abe retrieved the map that Maggie had made for them and Ben looked at it through the kaleidoscope's swirling lens. Just as he suspected, the lenses used the lines on the map to trace a path across the gulf.

"It's a key," Ben said, his smile beginning to spread.

"Ancient GPS!" Will cried.

"Where does it tell us to go, Dad?" Charlotte asked.

"It doesn't make sense with this map. We need the maps that were originally intended to be used with it," Ben said.

"Do you think that's one of the other two clues?" Abe asked.

"Very possible," Ben said. "Let's get our gear and get out of here. We need to call the others and see where they're at with their own clues."

"Agreed," Emily said, moving to help the kids start packing up their things.

* * *

Hours after they arrived at Grand Terre State Park, Riley Poole was still standing over his daughters' shoulders, attempting to help them with the re-assembly and pre-launch programming check of the small submariner robot that Cris had designed for a science fair years before. Each of the girls, even though they sometimes didn't get along, seemed to mesh flawlessly today as they double checked settings and tested the hydraulic control mechanisms. Jacqui giggled softly as she squeezed Riley's shoulders from behind him before planting a sympathetic kiss on his right shoulder.

"Feeling a little left out, baby?" she teased.

"I just...I mean look at them!" Riley said, gesturing toward the girls, nearly bumping heads as they worked. "I'm just so proud..." Riley scrubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and Jacqui couldn't help laughing...that is until Riley turned to face farther away from her. Jacqui stopped abruptly and then crossed to him again, turning him to face her.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked gently.

"They don't need me anymore," Riley muttered. "Cris can build or re-engineer her way out of anything, Janie's gonna hack the Pentagon one of these days, and Mary...frankly Mary scares me sometimes—look at all the stuff she can build! My girls grew up when I wasn't looking and I just feel...useless." Jacqui listened to this revelation with star-struck wonder.

"I never knew you felt that way," Jacqui said. She slipped her arms around Riley's middle and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her in return. It didn't seem to matter that they were standing under a park shelter near the parking lot that led to the Pier.

"Everything okay over there?" a voice called. Riley and Jacqui looked up to find all three of their girls blankly staring at them. The two reluctantly separated and faked smiles for their daughters.

"Yes, honey, everything's fine," Jacqui said. "You can't mean that I can't give your father a big hug without humiliating all of you?" Cris raised a suspicious eyebrow and then changed the subject.

"Right. Well, the bot looks like it's good to go and Janie's got the sonar set up and ready to scan so we're all done here. Are you guys ready to storm the beaches?" Cris said.

"Ready when you are, captain," Riley said, ruffling Cris' hair. She ducked, rolled her eyes, and good-naturedly smiled. When the others weren't looking, she furiously tidied her hair again. She would never let on to her sisters, but it had to be just so—like a lot of other things in her life.

When they arrived at the end of the pier, they were relieved to discover that it was vacant today, a surprise for such a sunny, clear, weekend afternoon.

"Maybe it's the spirit of Jean Lafitte trying to clear the way for us to find the treasure," Mary teased as she helped Cris lower the robot into the water while Jane minded the laptop monitor and gauges. Once it was in the water, Cris pulled the joystick into her lap and opened her own laptop to a video link with the robot. Her whole family gathered closely around and watched with bated breath as they remotely searched the remaining yards to their target coordinates. Minutes into their search, a strangely angular object caught Mary's eye.

"What's that?" she demanded, pointing at the object on the screen.

"Let me zoom in," Cris murmured, deep in concentration. When the picture became clearer, they discovered a broken shipping container with a smallish chest that Cris used the robot's arm to capture.

"Quick, bring it back!" Jane said excitedly.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Cris asked incredulously.

"Be nice, girls," Jacqui reminded them gently.

"Sorry, mom," Cris murmured.

"Sorry," Jane repeated. Jacqui and Riley shared a secret smile and watched as the robot returned with its prize. It took minutes to get it out of the water but getting all of them and the equipment back to the land rover they had come in was a feat that took the entire family to accomplish. The Pooles packed their things and the girls disappeared into the large cargo area of the rover to open the chest as their parents watched over the back seat. When they opened it, they discovered a set of navigation tools, inconspicuous in and of itself, except that the compass was a far cry larger than was convenient to use. It was nearly the size of Cris' extended hand and was intricately scrolled and engraved. On the face cover was a rampant lion and the three Poole girls exchanged an excited look.

"Lafitte's lion?" Mary breathed.

"We're onto something, ladies," Cris said. She opened the cover and examined the tool, knitting her brow in confusion.

"What's wrong?" asked Mary.

"Needle doesn't point north…" Cris muttered.

"Could it have been damaged when the crate was broken?" Jacqui suggested.

"I hope to God not," Cris replied. Jane gently took it from her and turned it over in her hands, examining the markings. Carefully, Jane pried at the back panel and it popped open before her sisters could object. Inside was a small, flat dial that, when Jane turned it, turned the face plate of the compass without disrupting the dial. She righted it so that the needle pointed north again and the object whirred and gave a loud click, startling the whole family as the device popped apart, dropping a second face plate into Jane's lap. Mary snatched it up and examined the writing on the reverse side.

"...What only looks where it cannot go? Observes the sun, the wind, and the sea's ebb and flow?" Mary recited. She looked at her sisters and parents and there was a space of five heartbeats before Jacqui's eyes widened.

"A bird," she said. "A bird in a cage can only see what's outside the cage! It can only see where it can't go!"

"Mom, you're brilliant!" squealed Jane. Jacqui blushed and Riley smiled as he stroked her back affectionately.

"Let's get this back to the mainland and hopefully we can meet up with the others and see if they found anything like this," Riley said, climbing forward to slide into the driver's seat as the girls packed up their find and clamored into the seats.

"Seat belt check?" Riley called over his shoulder as he started the car. There were four clicks accompanied by affirmations from the four women in his life.

"Check!"

"Affirmative!"

"Take us out, Commander!"

"Check!"

There was relative quiet on the way back to where they had left their chartered plane waiting to take them back to the mainland, and by the time they arrived at the hotel, the girls were eager to share their spoils with the others.

**End Chapter**


	13. Personal Treasures

**13. Personal Treasures**

It was late afternoon by the time all three families had re-convened at their hotel. The atlas, kaleidoscope, and compass were passed around so each person could examine all of the objects. By chance, Emily ended up with both the atlas and the kaleidoscope. Remembering what her son had said about the kaleidoscope requiring a specific map, she put it to her eye and examined the atlas. Rotating it a little, Emily found a pattern that made sense. Flipping to the next map, she repeated the process. A touch on her arm distracted her and she looking inquiringly at Abe. "What have you found, Grandma?"

"The key," she explained, looking at the others, who were watching quietly. "These are the maps that go with the kaleidoscope." The others started clamoring for a chance to look at the two items together. Emily held up a hand to silence them. "I think Maggie should see them first. She'll probably be able to re-create copies for us."

Blushing a little, Margaret accepted the two items from her adopted grandmother. "Thank you, Grandma Em."

"What about the compass, though?" Jane asked, holding it up. "And what does the bird mean?"

Riley, who'd been typing and clicking on his laptop after only a cursory look at the kaleidoscope and atlas, cleared his throat. "I can answer that one, Janie."

"What, Dad?" Jane perked up, blue eyes bright with curiosity.

Her father glanced briefly at Ben before answering, "I've been researching Lafitte for years, ever since Grandpa Pat and Uncle Ben started looking for the treasure. We all have, to tell the truth."

"Riley, don't start." There was a warning note in Ben's voice.

Holding up his hands briefly in mock-surrender, Riley carried on. "Anyway, an interesting little factoid is that Lafitte didn't keep any birds in cages." He paused, glancing around with a little grin on his face.

"Riley, we're waiting," Jacqui poked her husband's shoulder.

Rubbing the spot, he continued, "Except for one location: Galveston."

"As in Texas?" Charlotte asked, surprised.

Ben nodded, looking thoughtful. "That's where he established himself after he left Barataria Bay. It would have been part of Mexico at the time."

"He burned it before they left, though," Abigail reminded her husband. "There wouldn't be much left there."

Her husband turned to her, blue-gray eyes sparkling with eagerness for the hunt. "Though he would have made sure that the next clue would survive the fire."

"So we're going to Galveston, then?" Jacob asked, looking at the faces all around the room.

Ben looked at Abigail, who nodded, smiling softly. Addressing the other man, he nodded, too. "Yes, as soon as we can make arrangements."

***

The meeting broke up soon after that and Abe drew Jane away from the others, asking softly, "Can we talk?"

"Of course." Jane nodded and followed him from the lounge area they'd appropriated.

Once they were out of sight of their families, Abe took her hand and led her outside and into the gardens. Part of Jane worried about his reason for wanting to speak with her privately. Finally, Abe sat down on a bench and gently urged Jane to sit down beside him, which she did. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "I, uh, I've been thinking a lot today."

"Everyone has," Jane commented wryly, glancing at him curiously. "What have _you_ been thinking about?"

He took her hands in his, gray eyes intent as they met her blue ones. "Us, mostly."

"What about us?" she gripped his hands tightly, her heartbeat racing.

She stared when he slid down onto one knee in front of her, still holding her hands. "Will you marry me, Jane Grey Poole?"

"Abe! We're not even 18 yet!" Part of her was delighted and flattered that he'd asked, but the practical side was the one that spoke.

He nodded, sandy blond curls bouncing. "I know, but we can at least promise to marry when we're old enough."

"You're absolutely sure about this?" Jane asked, fighting the urge to throw her arms around Abe and kiss him until they both needed air. "We might meet other people."

Abe shook his head, utterly serious, his thumb smoothing over the back of her hand. "No one else could complete me the way you do, Jane."

"I need time," she whispered, reluctant to disappoint him, but aware that this was not a decision to be made lightly. "You've been thinking about this all day, but I haven't."

He nodded, getting to his feet and kissing her cheek. "I understand."

She turned her head so he kissed her lips instead, freeing one hand so she could wrap her arm around his shoulders. He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Both of them were gasping for breath when they pulled apart. "Thank you, Abe."

"I love you, Jane."

"I know."

***

Jacqui and Riley were busy making out while the TV in their room played a horror movie on mute when a knock on the door interrupted them. Reluctantly getting up while her husband pulled a pillow into his lap, Jacqui went over to open the door, raising an eyebrow when she saw her daughter. "Janie?"

"Can I talk to you and Dad?" Jane asked, looking unusually serious and quiet.

Before she answered, Jacqui looked over at Riley. He nodded and she stepped back to let Jane enter. "Come on in. You know we're always here for you."

"Thanks." Jane entered and climbed onto the bed, not even surprised to realize that the TV was on mute. She already knew her parents were a little odd.

Jacqui returned to nestle against Riley, gazing at her daughter with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Abe asked me to marry him, or at least promise to get engaged as soon as we're old enough," Jane told them flat-out, apparently unwilling to drag the discussion out.

At a nudge from Jacqui, Riley asked, "What did you say?"

"I said I needed to think about it," Jane replied, pushing her hair back behind her ears in a gesture very reminiscent of her mother. "I mean, I'm flattered beyond belief that he wants to marry me, but we're both so young..."

Jacqui nodded. "Yes, there is that to consider." She glanced at Riley, who nodded encouragingly. "You also need to think about what you both want to do with your lives."

"Mom, we're talking about Abraham Lincoln _Gates_." Jane's response was encouraging because she seemed more like her old self. "He'll be a treasure hunter just like Uncle Ben."

Riley asked the next question without prompting, "Will you help him?"

"Duh!" Jane rolled her eyes. "That's always been our plan."

Husband and wife exchanged an amused glance. "So, when were you going to tell us about this?"

"Um, when we started treasure-hunting?" Jane looked sheepish. "We never really discussed it, but we knew that's what we would do."

Jacqui laughed softly. "Would you stick by him even when the family name is ridiculed?"

"Of course." Her daughter looked offended at even the _thought_ that she would abandon Abe. "I won't let what other people say take me away from him."

Riley grinned and reached out to ruffle her hair. "It sounds to me like your mind is made up already, Janie."

"It does, doesn't it?" She looked surprised by the thought. "I think I'll go tell Abe."

When she started to get up, Jacqui reached out to catch her hand. When the blue eyes so like Riley met hers, she spoke, "Make sure he has permission from Ben and Abigail."

"Do I have yours?" Jane looked from one parent to the other.

Jacqui and Riley exchanged glances and smirked. "Only if his parents say yes."

"Mom!" Jane stared at them in dismay.

Riley leaned forward. "Do you honestly think Ben and Abigail are going to object to Abe marrying you?"

Slowly, a smile appeared. "No."

"Good."

***

Charlotte frowned as she watched her little brother come down to breakfast with the goofiest smile on his face she could imagine. She caught her twin's elbow. "What's up with Abe?"

"He and Jane are promised to each other," Will explained in a low voice.

They watched as Abe finished getting his breakfast and walked over to sit down beside Jane, who smiled brightly at him and kissed his cheek. "Promised, as in practically engaged?"

"Yeah. They settled it last night, with permission from our parents and from Uncle Riley and Aunt Jacqui." Will kept his voice soft as they started choosing their breakfasts.

Charlotte paused in the middle of scooping eggs onto her plate. "Really? Mom and Dad are letting them?"

"I don't think it's so much 'letting' them as approving." He smiled wryly and turned to sit down beside Emily Ann, who greeted him with a fond smile.

Returning the spoon to the hot plate, Charlotte followed her twin and sat down next to Meri, which put her across from her twin. As she stretched up to kiss his cheek, he reached out and snagged the one piece of bacon from her plate. Holding her gaze, he took a bite of the bacon. "Hey! That's mine!"

"Not anymore." He smirked and finished eating the bacon.

Rolling her eyes, she reached over with her fork to stab the one sausage link on his plate. Mock-glaring at him, she took a ferocious bite. Across the table, Emily Anne sighed loudly, "Give it a rest, you two. We know it's all for show."

"It's fun." Charlotte finished the sausage and turned to begin doctoring her eggs the way she preferred them.

Will leaned over to murmur in Emily Anne's ear. "You know you think it's cute."

"Don't tell _them_ that."

"I won't."

**End Chapter**


	14. Treasure in the Sunset

**14. Treasure in the Sunset**

The flight to Galveston wasn't long, but for the ever ardent treasure hunters it was maddening. Every once in a while throughout the flight, the kids traded places as conversations changed and overlapped one another, but their parents remained fairly stationary. Flying exhausted Emily, and she was the first of the traveling party to recline in her seat and fall asleep.

Will was deep in a book he was reading, one earplug of his mp3 player in his right ear and the other in Emily Anne's left as she slumped against his shoulder, fast asleep. Will would look over occasionally to watch her and smile. The music was her choosing, not his—he'd never cared for classical piano but it seemed to help Emily Anne rest, so he'd made sure that there was a discreet collection on his music player for just such an occasion. The families took up seventeen consecutive seats on the same side of the aircraft, Will observed, and he marveled that his dad had been able to pull it off. With three seats to a row, the aisle seat went to Cristina, who was doodling in the margins of her Sudoku book as she worked out the puzzles.

"What are you thinking about?" Emily Anne murmured. Will tried hard not to flinch in surprise—he hadn't realized that she was awake…she hadn't even moved.

"Not much. Just reading," Will muttered softly.

"I can practically hear the wheels turning in your head," she added. Will replied without looking up.

"Good. That means the hamster hasn't fallen off the wheel yet. That's a good sign."

Emily Anne rolled her eyes with a wry smile that acknowledged his joke. She relaxed back against his shoulder and squeezed his hand when he set his book in his lap. Will turned his head to place a tender kiss in Emily Anne's sweet smelling hair and whispered, "Thank you." Emily Anne gently looked up at him.

"What for?" she asked. Will lifted her chin with his fingers and lightly kissed her lips.

"For being you. I don't think I could have asked for anything better than what I have in you," Will replied. Digging in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, he withdrew a little gold ring with the tiniest most perfectly square diamond in it. Emily Anne's mouth fell open when she looked back at Will who was smiling softly back at her. "Now, don't go freaking out on me--it's just a promise ring—but as far as I'm concerned…I can't see myself spending the rest of my life with anyone else. I love you, Emily Anne,"

"You really are something else, Will Gates," Emily Anne said with a smile.

"Is that a promise?" Will asked, the same star-struck smile still on his face. Emily Anne smiled brilliantly and said, "Yes." Will slipped the little ring on her finger and tipped her head up for one more kiss before Cris finally rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Anyone awake willing to switch with me?" she asked idly. A few seconds later, she switched back a row with Maggie. She had nothing against Will and Emily Anne, but the mushy stuff was a little more than she wanted to be immersed in right now.

A similar scene had played out in the row ahead of them, where Charlotte and Meri were engrossed in the movie they were watching on Charlotte's mini DVD player. Meri had his arm wrapped tightly around Charlotte and she snuggled in against his chest indulging the occasional random kiss that he placed on her crown, temples or cheeks and once in a while she'd look up and make one of those kisses land on her lips. When Will lightly kicked the back of Meri's chair, Meri awkwardly craned his neck to look over the top of the chair and catch Will's grin of victory. He released Charlotte just long enough to reach back and knuckle bump Will's hand before resuming his position.

"I take it she said yes, too," Charlotte said with a grin of her own.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Meri said with a cheeky smile. Charlotte smiled and batted his shoulder as he laughed. "Yes you do," she accused.

"I love you, Charlotte," Meri teased.

"I love you, too. You're damn lucky I love you," Charlotte muttered good-naturedly.

"Yes, I am," Meri said, lightly stroking Charlotte's arm affectionately.

When they landed in Galveston, there wasn't enough time left in the day to visit the museum that had been erected near the site of Lafitte's home, so the weary treasure hunters checked into their new hotel and dragged their feet and their luggage as they moved to their assigned rooms.

Emily couldn't remember her luggage being that heavy before, so it was a welcome relief when Abe put on his backpack, shifted his second bag to his shoulder, and swept hers out of her hands. She looked up at him in surprise and then smiled as he grinned at her and said, "Let me get that for you, Grandma."

"Thank you, sweetheart," she replied. When they arrived at their floor, Charlotte took Emily's suitcase so that the boys could go to their own room—she would be sharing with her grandmother again.

"Are you okay, Grandma?" Charlotte asked, brushing out her hair in the mirror and touching up her makeup. Emily looked up from where she was sitting on her bed and smiled.

"Yes. I'm just worn out, I think," she replied. There came a knock at the door and Charlotte opened it to find her mother smiling back at her, along with Jacqui and Nadya. Each was dressed in her bathing suit with a pair of cut off jeans and flip-flops and was carrying a big beach bag.

"Charlie, the boys told me to let you know that there's movies, pizza and popcorn going on in their room for everyone," Abigail said. "Your dad, Uncle Riley and Uncle Jacob are downstairs in the bar watching a game of some sort." Charlotte lit up at the idea of a good movie and she loved popcorn. She grabbed her cell phone and key and then noticed what the three mothers were wearing.

"Where are you guys off to?" Charlotte teased.

"We're going for a sunset swim and your grandmother is coming with us," Abigail said with a grin. Emily's attention was suddenly on her daughter-in-law.

"No," Emily said, shaking her head and making her pale silver locks dance. "No…I couldn't."

"Ben told me if you said that to tell you he'd tell the kids about the…"

"All right!" Emily cried. "All right, I give!" Charlotte started to giggle.

"Come on, grandma, it can't be that bad. We've heard just about every story there is in the family's illustrious recent history," Charlotte said. "Besides, you haven't worn your swimsuit since we left home. It might do you some good to go out with mom, Aunt Jacqui and Aunt Nadya and have some fun."

"I don't know…" Emily said, wringing her hands and biting her lip as she stood up. "An 84 year old woman in a bathing suit isn't exactly what people on a beach want to feast their eyes on." The other women emerged into the room the rest of the way and Abigail draped her arm around Emily's shoulders and sat her back down on the bed.

"Emily," she said gently. "Patrick wouldn't want this for you. He wouldn't want you to be so down like this."

"I suppose not," Emily said, her voice thickening with the thought of him.

"If Patrick could see you right now, he'd make that face—you know the one I mean, where he'd lift his chin and look down at you through the bottom section of his bifocals and say, 'Emily, I do not want you to sit here and mourn me when our family wants you to get better,' "said Abigail in a perfect mock impression of Patrick's mannerisms and voice. Emily found herself fighting a grin as Jacqui and Nadya giggled. Abigail pressed on until Emily was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes and pleading for Abigail to stop—she'd won. Perhaps, she thought to herself, Patrick wasn't so very far away after all.

"Come on!" Charlotte said to the closed bathroom door. "It can't be that bad!" She had told her mother she wasn't leaving until she got to see her grandmother in the infamous bathing suit she had refused to put on. Abigail had told her it was gorgeous and she wanted to be able to tell her own children and grandchildren that her trim, beautiful grandma—Emily Jane Appleton Gates—had worn a two piece bathing suit at the age of 84. When the door lock finally clicked and the door opened, all four women turned their attention to the door and their jaws dropped in pleased surprise. Not only was Emily dressed in her infamous magenta 2 piece bathing suit, but she made it look good!

"I'll be damned…"

"Wow!"

"No one's going to be looking at the rest of us on that beach!"

"Grandma, you look fantastic!" Charlotte said. Emily smiled, but she blushed as hard as she could as she slipped a pair of shorts on and put on a pair of shoes.

"Well, let's go before I lose my nerve!" Emily said, a mixture of excitement and nervousness as the others cheered and covered her with hugs before they left the room again. Charlotte secured the door and when the others were out of sight, jogged the rest of the way to Will and Abe's room. She couldn't wait to show them the picture she'd taken with her phone.

* * *

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say this is one hell of a family vacation, Ben," Riley said, leaning forward to tap his glass against Ben's.

"I wish it was a vacation, Riley," Ben replied. "I admit we're getting a lot of downtime on this hunt, but we're getting somewhere, and with all the kids along I think we need that downtime sometimes."

"You know, maybe after this we should make it a point to find somewhere nice and take all three families for a couple of weeks," Jacob suggested.

"That's an awesome idea. I know the kids would like that," Ben said. Riley got up out of his chair and wandered to the window of the bar and glanced out at the beach, taking a deep breath before he sipped his beer. Mid-sip, his eyes widened and he aspirated what was in his mouth, making him cough and sputter. Ben and Jacob looked up in confusion and laughed.

"What's wrong with you, Riley?" Ben asked as Riley brushed at the wet spot on his shirt.

"Oh nothing. There are just four really hot women in bikinis playing in the water out there," Riley said half sarcastically, his eyes watering as he gave one more productive cough. Ben and Jacob rose from their chairs, drinks in hand and joined him to see what he was talking about.

"Mercy!" Jacob breathed.

"What did I tell ya?" Riley said, recovering his grin. Ben squinted for a moment and then smiled.

"What are you smiling at, man?" Jacob chuckled.

Without a word, Ben ordered four bottles of beer and headed for the door that led out to the bar's patio.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked, starting to panic. "You forget you're wearing a wedding ring?"

"Abigail's going to kill you, Ben," Jacob added. Ben stopped, turned, his suave smile still plastered across his face.

"Would the two of you relax?" he said.

"I'm not going to let you sabotage your marriage, Ben!" Riley cried.

"Are you two serious?" Ben said, raising his eyebrows. Neither Jacob nor Riley could think of what to say out of utter shock at their friend's choice of evening entertainment until he gave them both a shove out onto the patio and then told them to look again.

Riley had to put his glass down. Jacob sputtered a spit-take across the nearest empty table. Ben confidently walked around to the other side of his friends before leaning toward them to speak more quietly.

"You were saying?" Ben said with a smile. All Riley could do was stare. Jacob started to laugh.

"Is that your mom?" he said, gesturing with his bottle. Ben's eyes narrowed.

"Don't talk about my mother," Ben warned him. His tone wasn't harsh, it was like he might have used with an errant kid brother.

"I'm just saying, man, that's an 80 year old woman that can still make a bikini look good," Jacob explained. "Girl's got talent!"

"Jacob—not another word," Ben said as he turned to continue toward the girls. His mother was easy on the eyes, but Ben only had eyes for his own bikini-clad bride. Riley and Jacob followed, each having a harder and harder time keeping their eyes off their loves the closer they got.

Abigail looked up from the waves that she was batting at Nadya and saw the boys coming.

"Well, well," Abigail said with a crooked grin. "Looks like we've got an audience, ladies." Jacqui and Nadya stopped what they were doing, swept their hair out of their eyes and looked to see what she was talking about.

"They're kinda cute," Abigail said, leaning against Nadya and good-naturedly shoving her. "Too bad there's only three of them."

"Did you drink too much sea water?" Jacqui said. "Our husbands are up at the bar right now. They could be watching."

"What's wrong?" asked Emily, joining them from where she had been sitting on her beach towel and watching the sunset.

"We've got company and Abigail's considering entertaining them," Nadya explained. Emily squinted into the distance.

"That lot's too young for me. Have at them, ladies," she murmured, giving Abigail a knowing wink before she swept a little water at them and then returned to her blanket.

"You're crazy," Nadya said. "What would Ben say?"

"Are you two serious?" Abigail said incredulously. She boldly took a few steps toward the encroaching group and then turned back to laugh as Jacqui and Nadya stared wide-eyed in horror. Abigail shook her head and finished her jog to close the distance between them. Ben smiled when she came to them, offering her one of the beer bottles.

"Kiss me before they realize it's you," Abigail demanded, pulling Ben's face to hers. Riley and Jacob laughed in sheepish embarrassment.

"Does mom think…"

"No. She saw you," Abigail assured him. Ben smiled again and let her lead him by the hand to where the beach towels were spread out on the sand. Ben sat down on the towel nearest to his mother, kissed her cheek and then offered her a bottle of her own. She smiled as she accepted it.

"Nice to see that you decided to join the sunset party," Ben told her, chuckling when she rolled her eyes.

"Would you really have told the children about—"

"Every word, mother," Ben said, wrapping his arm around her to give her a reassuring squeeze.

The parents were well relaxed when they arrived back at their rooms. It was after 11pm and they wanted to rise early to get to the museum the next day so that any additional traveling they might need to do could also be accomplished. Ben produced a spare key to Will and Abe's room and keyed it open. Peering inside, he chuckled as he noted that all ten teenagers were fast asleep in one position or another around the room. He motioned for the others to look and then suggested that they leave them all alone.

"That's a lot of trust you're giving them," Abigail said.

"It is, but I think they'll monitor themselves. Each of those girls has a brother or cousin in that room who would fight for her honor at the drop of a hat," Ben said.

"He's got a point," Emily said with a grin.

"It's really nice to see you smiling again, mom," Ben added sincerely, draping his arm across Emily's shoulders. Emily's smile widened a little at this compliment and she said, "Thank you. I decided as I watched the sunset tonight that maybe your father would want me not to cry so much."

"I agree," Ben said gently. He kissed the top of her head before they left her at her own bedroom door and the others drifted off to their own. The next day held the promise of more progress and possibly more adventure, and Emily wanted to be ready.

**End Chapter**


	15. Treasured Relationships

**15. Treasured Relationships**

Emily was already up and dressed when Charlotte returned to their room the next morning, looking very frowsy and rumpled. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Morning, Grandma." Charlotte walked over to her suitcase and rummaged through it for her toiletries bag and a change of clothes.

Her grandmother finished curling her hair and unplugged the curling iron. "How many movies did you watch last night?"

"A couple," Charlotte replied, kicking off her shoes. "How was the beach?"

Emily couldn't quite hide a smirk. "It was lovely."

"Good." The bathroom door closed behind Charlotte.

Rather than take offense, Emily merely smiled. Her granddaughter would be in a better mood once she had coffee. Instead, she simply went downstairs to join the rest of the families for breakfast. Abe greeted her with a hug, whispering in her ear, "You looked good in your bikini, Grandma."

"Thank you, Sweetheart." She was a little surprised by the comment, but then she remembered that all of her grandchildren were quite adept with technology. Charlotte must have managed to take a picture with her cell phone before she'd left the room.

After serving herself, she sat down with her son and daughter-in-law. Ben greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see your hair curled, Mom."

"Thank you, Ben." She smiled and began to eat.

Just as she started on the last of her waffle, a pair of arms circled her shoulders from behind and Charlotte kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you're happy, Grandma."

Emily laughed and turned in her seat so she could return her granddaughter's hug properly. "I'm glad you're awake now."

Charlotte only rolled her eyes, kissing Emily's cheek one more time before moving on to greet each of her parents in turn. That accomplished, she returned to her seat by Meri, snagging the sausage from his plate before she sat down. Amused, Emily returned to her breakfast.

***

They headed to Le Musée de Jean Lafitte shortly after breakfast; wandering through the various exhibits until they reached the one they were looking for. It was a recreation of Lafitte's office in _Maison Rogue_, complete with the birdcage. Seventeen cameras took pictures of the cage from various angles, though Nadya seemed distracted, tilting her head at different angles as she studied the cage. Jacob noticed this and asked quietly, "Are you all right?"

"I need a 3-D scan of that cage," she murmured to her husband. "Do you think there's any way we can arrange it?"

He shrugged. "We can ask Abigail. She might know."

"Let's ask her now," Nadya urged, steering her husband over to where the blonde was standing with Ben.

Abigail listened as they explained what they needed and nodded. "Sure, I'll see what I can arrange. There are perks to being the National Archivist."

She winked and left to talk with the museum curator. She returned with a small, thin man dressed in a dark business suit, gray hair receding and thinning, dark eyes guarded. When they reached Jacob and Nadya, Abigail introduced them. "Mr. Boyle, I'd like you to meet Jacob and Nadya Bonner. They're the ones who'd like to scan the birdcage."

"It won't hurt the cage at all?" Mr. Boyle asked, glancing from one to the other suspiciously. "My work involves preserving these artifacts."

"Scanning the cage won't require touching it at all," Jacob assured the older man with a smile. "I assure you it's quite safe."

Nadya nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Please, Mr. Boyle?"

"It will need to be done in the preservation room," he told them firmly. "With only you three. No one else."

Abigail nodded quickly in agreement. "Of course, we understand."

"Very well, come with me." Mr. Boyle led them through a door marked 'Staff Only'. They walked down a hallway and into a clean room. Opening lockers, he withdrew containment suits for all of them to wear, which they donned without protest. Abigail and Nadya carefully tied back their hair before pulling the hoods up. Once he was assured they were covered, he let them into the preservation room. "I will be back with the cage shortly."

They nodded and Jacob walked over to the table against one wall so he could set up his laptop and other equipment. Abigail and Nadya waited in the corner. Jacob had just finished when Mr. Boyle returned with the birdcage, carefully setting it on the large workspace in the middle of the room. He stepped back and watched closely as Jacob began to scan the cage. "Is it showing up, Nadya?"

"Yes, it's showing up fine on the screen, Jay," she informed her husband, glancing between him and the screen as he slowly moved around the cage, scanning it section by section.

When he finished, he turned to his wife. "Did I get all of it?"

"Let me check." Using the portable mouse, Nadya rotated the scan of the birdcage, looking for any holes that weren't supposed to be there. "Yeah, it's all here."

Jacob nodded, turning off the scanner. He turned to Mr. Boyle. "That's it. Thank you very much for letting us scan the cage."

"You're welcome, Mr. Bonner." The curator nodded and lifted the cage from the table, carrying it from the room.

Abigail waited while husband and wife finished shutting their equipment down and put it away. "Why did you need to scan it anyway?"

"There's something familiar about the shape," Nadya explained as they exited into the clean room and removed the containment suits. "I need the scan to make comparisons and figure out why that looks familiar."

Abigail nodded and they returned to the museum proper, where the rest of their group stood waiting for them. Ben greeted his wife with a soft kiss. "Got it taken care of?"

"Yep. Nadya noticed something about the birdcage, but she needs time to figure it out," Abigail explained in a low voice as they left the museum.

Ben nodded and the group headed down the street to a park. While the 'kids' relaxed on the grass, Nadya sat down at a picnic table with Jacob's laptop, first using the scans to render a three-dimensional representation of the birdcage that could be rotated and flipped as necessary. Once that was accomplished, she began comparing the cage to various buildings related to Jean Lafitte in some form or another. The 'adults' sat down on the benches nearby, talking quietly as they waited for the breakthrough. It wasn't long in coming, "Eureka!"

"You found something?" The others got up and crowded around the laptop, with Jacob standing directly behind his wife.

Nadya grinned, tapping a key. "This is the birdcage, as scanned by my handsome husband." The others laughed while Jacob kissed the top of his wife's head. Still smiling, Nadya tapped another key, bringing up a different image. "This is Lafitte's headquarters in Cuba, the last known location he used as a port."

"I'll be damned," Jacob murmured, watching as a few more keystrokes overlaid the scan of the cage on the image of the headquarters. "It's the spitting image."

Once the adults had looked, Nadya turned the laptop around so the children could look, too. She looked at Ben. "What do you say, Ben? Is our next stop Cuba?"

"Sure looks like it, doesn't it, Charlie?" Ben glanced at his daughter.

She finished looking at the pictures and nodded. "It sure does, Dad."

"Are everyone's passports up to date?" Emily asked as Nadya began shutting down the laptop. "We won't get far without them."

Ben wrapped his arm around his mother's shoulders and squeezed gently. "Relax, Mom. All of us have traveled out of the country before, so all of our passports are good."

"All the same, we should check when we get back to the hotel." Emily gave each of them a stern look. "That way we can arrange for new passports as soon as possible."

There were nods all around as they headed to the parking lot to pile into the cars they'd rented. As he started the car, Jacob murmured to his wife, "Thank goodness for computers. Twenty years ago, we'd have had to wait _weeks_ for a new passport."

"Now it's just days," she agreed, fiddling with the radio tuner as Jacob followed the other two cars from the parking lot.

***

When they'd checked their passports, it turned out that the only one that had expired was Emily's. Ben was exasperated. "Mom."

"I guess it just slipped my mind," she replied with some warmth, glaring at her son in an effort to control her other emotions. "I was a little distracted with everything else that was going on."

He nodded, gathering her into a hug. It had been mainly Patrick's poor health that had kept Emily too busy to update her passport. Softly, he told her, "We'll wait with you."

"You don't need to delay everything just for me," she argued, surprised and touched by his offer. "You should go on ahead and I'll join you as soon as I have my new passport."

Ben shook his head. "No, Mom. You're part of this hunt and we'll stay with you." He grinned. "Besides, this will give us a chance to explore the city. A lot of state firsts happened here."

"You just want a chance to wine and dine Abigail," Emily mock-accused, amusement dancing in her eyes.

He grinned and winked. "I'll take you out before we head to Cuba. I promise."

"Take Abigail out first, and then I'll agree," she warned him, pleased by the idea.

Ben smiled and hugged her gently. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Ben." She returned the hug, blinking back tears.

Another pair of arms circled Emily's waist from behind. "We all love you, Grandma."

"I know, Abe." She looked over her shoulder at her youngest grandson as she patted his hands.

Before she knew it, she was surrounded by the rest of the Gates, all five of them hugging her tight. Laughing, she returned all of their hugs in turn, ending with Abigail. As she kissed her daughter-in-law's cheek, Abigail whispered, "Make sure he takes you to a _good_ restaurant."

"I will if you will."

"Deal."

**End Chapter**


	16. Lafitte's Treasured Pride

**16. ****Lafitte's Treasured Pride**

The days waiting for Emily's new passport went quickly, and soon the families were on the move again, this time to Havana.

"I'd always wanted to visit more places in the Caribbean, but your father always thought it was too hot," Emily commented to Ben as she took a deep breath of the warm, humid air as they loaded the two vans that would take them to their new hotel. She was dressed in a black short sleeved tee shirt with soft linen Capri pants that billowed gently in the soft breeze. Her glasses turned dark in the sun to protect her eyes, but one didn't need to see her eyes to know that she was relaxed and feeling better than usual despite the flight.

"But grandpa loved summertime," Charlotte said, hoisting another piece of luggage and handing it to Will, who was sitting in the van and passing the luggage in turn to Abe. "Why would he complain about the heat?"

"It's a different kind of heat down here, Charlie," Ben answered. "The humidity makes the heat feel different."

"We'll have just enough time," said Emily Anne.

"What do you mean?" Will asked, getting out of the back of the van to look over her shoulder at the pamphlet she was reading.

"There are guided tours through Lafitte's home given periodically throughout the day by living history artists. From the looks of it, we'll have just enough time to get to the hotel and set things in our rooms before the next tour starts," Emily Anne answered.

"Don't you kids ever get jet lag?" Riley whined, wiping a hand down his face.

"We won't make it if we're all standing on the sidewalk here," Abigail said, leaning out from her seat in the van.

"Yes, dear," Ben said, smiling and climbing in next to her, making sure the kids were all in and settled before shutting the door.

As they approached the house that had at one time been home to Jean Lafitte, Nadya gasped and shook her head as she looked from the building to the printed image in her hand.

"It's a perfect match!" she whispered to Jacob.

"Let me see!" Maggie said, looking over her mother's shoulder. "Oh, wow…"

"Had to be a heck of an artist that came up with that birdcage," Will added.

"Maybe I'll try my hand when we get home," Maggie said.

"You may need to take soldering and welding lessons from Mary before you do," Ben teased.

"What say you, Queen Mary?" teased Maggie.

"Your wish is my humble honor, Princess Margaret," Mary teased back as each faked a bow before the other.

"Oh, to London Tower with the both of you," Emily chuckled, ruffling the girls' hair as they fell into a line to enter the house.

"Princess?" Jacob said, an eyebrow arched in playful skepticism.

"I knew we were asking for trouble naming all those girls after noblewomen," Riley said, patting him on the back. Ben laughed softly.

"Don't laugh too hard, Gates, there's a streak of feminists a mile long in your family," Riley added, pointing at Ben.

"They have to be to marry the Gates men," Abigail teased, catching Ben's hand and winking at him as she passed him, pulling him behind her as Riley and Jacob snickered in response.

Their extended family party made up a significant part of the tour group, but not so much that as they went along anyone noticed Will and Emily Anne when they lagged behind in Lafitte's private office.

"What are we looking for?" Will asked her softly.

"I don't know. The first clues were all on a map, the second one we got to with the riddle in the compass…what if we're looking for another riddle?" Emily Anne said, looking around at the sundry objects on Lafitte's desk. There were writing items such as parchment, quills, ink jars, and blotters along with a collection of aged miniature paintings framed along-side small antiques and a globe.

"There's too much stuff on that desk. Looks like a girl decorated it," Will muttered, turning from a chest of drawers and looking back at the aforementioned desk.

"That's stereotyping, Will," Emily Anne said a bit gruffly.

"No it isn't, it's fact," Will said in defense of himself. "It's a proven fact that women like to have more 'stuff' around than men do. They tend to be more sentimental."

"Oh really?" Emily Anne said, turning to him. "Then why do you come home with souvenirs for me from the places you've been?"

"They're for you, Emily," Will said, taking a step closer to her and wrapping his large hands around her waist.

"You didn't let me finish—I also tend to find exact duplicates of those souvenirs on your shelves at home," she said with a grin that seemed to know that she had won this little debate eons ago. Will squinted down at her, trying hard to be offended.

"You're lucky I love you, minx," Will grumbled softly, leaning down to kiss her.

"Your minx," Emily Anne whispered, kissing him again. She leaned back a little against the desk and by chance, tipped one of the framed portraits. Three others tipped along with it, though luckily none fell to the floor.

"Shit," Emily Anne hissed. She and Will righted the frames and Will took a good look at the photos. One in particular held his attention and Emily Anne came around to the other side of the desk to see what he was seeing.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This picture doesn't match the others," Will muttered. "These three are of Lafitte with generals and foreign traders, but I don't recognize this one. It doesn't look like the formal portraits that the other three are."

"The back is loose on that one," Emily Anne said, taking the unidentifiable picture from Will's hand.

"Be careful," Will softly admonished her as she popped the back cover off the delicate frame and a small, very thin parchment sheet fluttered out to the floor. Will gingerly picked it up the way his mother had taught him to handle delicate antique documents and read it out loud as Emily Anne dug her notebook out of her purse and scribbled it down.

"Far and wide we travel thus

The sea our trusted friend

But sorrows end

Happiness mends when

We remember

We are Lafitte's pride in the end," Will recited. They carefully photographed the little parchment and the painting it was hidden in and then tucked it back into the frame before hurrying to catch up to the rest of the group. It would be a struggle to keep their discovery to themselves until they got out to the van.

"I can't believe we actually found it!" Emily Anne very nearly squealed as they huddled in the van looking at the pictures of the painting and the parchment.

"And it was totally an accident," Will added.

"But what does it mean?" Abigail asked.

"Lafitte's pride…" Charlotte murmured. "Surely he would have been proud of his crew, but no recognizable member of his crew is in that painting…Pride…in the end…"

"Keep going, honey, I think you're on the right track," Ben said as he looked at the photo of the riddle.

"At the end of his missions, at the end of all the plundering and business trips into Louisiana and Texas, he went home. He would have been in Galveston, or here, wherever home was at the time but the gold isn't in any of those places," Charlotte continued.

"Did we miss something? Did we pass right over the top of the treasure as we rushed to find all of the clues?" Meri asked, suddenly nervous.

"No—the clues led us here…there has to be another step," Charlotte said. There were beats of time before Charlotte demanded her backpack from the back of the van.

"What is it, Charlie?" Emily asked. Charlotte dug into the pack and withdrew the printout she had made of the letter Patrick had written to her so many years ago and read it again.

"_Remember, all of you are my pride—my family—and my joy." _Charlotte read aloud.

"We know that, Charlie," Abe said, his eyes a little red rimmed as he read the letter over Charlotte's shoulder. Jane was gently rubbing soothing circles over his back as the conversation continued.

"Look at it—he didn't just say that we were his pride and joy—he made a point of saying 'my pride—my family—and my joy. It must be a part of the puzzle he had figured out and left for us," Charlotte said. "But how could he have known about the painting and the riddle?"

"I didn't go through any of his research materials before I packed them," Emily said sadly. "I wasn't thinking about us actually trying to find the treasure ourselves."

"_A pride_ is the word used to describe a group of lions," Will said.

"Lions travel in huge extended family packs," Charlotte said, "and the lion was the symbol of Lafitte's family." Charlotte's eyes grew wide and she turned to her father with her heart pounding in anticipation.

"Dad, where did Lafitte grow up?" Charlotte demanded.

"Riley?" Ben called.

"Already on it!" Riley called back from the back seat of the van. There was tense silence as Riley clicked the keys on his laptop. "Lafitte's mother was from Santo Domingo…the family's house is said to be in Santo Domingo which is now the Dominican Republic."

"Santo Domingo it is," Ben said, making his way to the back to help Riley make arrangements for a chartered flight as the kids cheered and shared high-fives and hugs.

"To think it was here in your grandfather's letter the whole time," Emily mused softly, re-reading the letter to herself. Charlotte leaned into her shoulder and asked her grandma if she was all right.

"Oh, I'm fine, sweetheart," Emily assured her, patting her hand.

"Do you ever wonder if Grandpa left a letter for anyone else?" Charlotte asked her. "For you?" Emily swallowed hard and nodded.

"Turned my bedroom upside down searching," she whispered. "If there was one, I should have found it when I moved in with all of you." Charlotte waited a moment and then withdrew a delicate envelope from the front of her pack. The parchment envelope was unmarked and the seal was unbroken.

"I have a confession to make. When we were helping you move, Will and I bumped your wedding picture and knocked it over. The frame didn't break, but I found this inside and tucked it in my bag to give to you later when you weren't so stressed out by the whole moving thing. Time went on and I forgot I had it until we were getting ready for this trip and I pulled out this backpack and found it. I'm sorry, grandma," Charlotte explained. Quiet tears fell down Emily's cheeks as she wrapped her arm around Charlotte and kissed the top of her head.

Charlotte set her things down in the room at their hotel and then made the excuse of wanting to go for a walk with Meri. She knew that her grandma would want to be alone to read her letter. Emily nodded appreciatively and remained still sitting on the bed until the door clicked shut and then with shaking hands, she carefully broke the seal on the envelope and removed a folded letter in her husband's bold handwriting. Gratefully, this one wasn't in code.

_My Darling Emily, _

_I love you. _

_I know for a fact that no matter how many times I said that in our marriage that it was never enough. If you've found this, it most likely means we're not together right now. Whether that means I'm away from home with Ben or, worse, that I've died, remember that in nearly 60 years that you've been a part of my life, there hasn't been a day when you haven't been in my thoughts and dreams. Every time I turned around it seemed, you would remind me of that stubborn, beautiful, headstrong firecracker I met in Mexico. I know that we didn't always agree, and that for a while there, it proved to be our undoing, but like many of the great love affairs in history there was a breaking point that ultimately, though it meant that we were apart for 32 years, made both of us stronger and brought us back together with the help of our son an even stronger union than we were before. As I write this, I am remembering the vows we took when we married again, "Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, for where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me again." If death has finally parted us, dearest, loveliest Emily, know that I'll be there waiting for you when our heavenly father calls you home to his side—and mine. Take good care of our family for me, Em. They are part of that treasure that I hold most dear—the treasured legacy that proceeds from eternal romance that only true love engenders. Dry your eyes, love, and try not to cry so much. Know that wherever I am, I am sending you all the love that I possess. _

_Yours forever, _

_Your Patrick _

**End Chapter**


	17. Finding Lafitte's Treasure

**17. Finding Lafitte's Treasure**

Emily had to pause several times while reading her husband's letter because dust insisted on getting in her eyes and making them tear up. By the time she finished it, tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. They weren't tears of grief, however, but tears of healing. She was at peace with the fact that she had to go on living after her husband died. He would want that for her, not to mention her extended family--_her_ pride. She would watch over them until it was time for her to join Patrick again, this time forever.

When Charlotte returned from her walk with Meri, she found her grandmother seated at the desk in their hotel room, writing away on the hotel stationary. "What are you doing, Grandma?"

"Writing," Emily answered calmly, pausing to re-read what she'd written, only to scribble something out and write something else.

"Well, yeah, I figured that, but writing _what_?" Charlotte tried to peek over her grandmother's shoulder, but Emily curved it over to hide the paper.

When she looked up, Charlotte could tell that her grandmother had been crying. "It's something that has to be read later."

"All right." She smiled and leaned down to kiss Emily's cheek. "Abe and the others were talking about starting a game of poker downstairs if you're interested."

Emily waved a hand dismissively. "They hate when I play."

"Only because you somehow end up cleaning us out," Charlotte teased.

Chuckling, Emily commented, "I was taught to play cutthroat."

"So we gathered," Charlotte answered dryly. "Still, it'd be nice for you to come down and join us, even if all you do is kibbitz."

"I'll think about it."

***

The next day found the three families in a charter boat headed for the Dominican Republic. While making travel arrangements the previous day, Ben and Riley had discovered that chartering a boat would have been cheaper than buying plane tickets on such short notice. It had the added benefit of giving everyone a chance to enjoy being on the ocean.

Charlotte preferred to stand at the bow of the boat, letting the wind whip her blonde hair back from her face. Meri came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, resting his cheek against her hair. She smiled and leaned back against him, resting her arms over his.

Emily Anne stayed below, curling up against Will on a bench in one of the cabins and trying to keep down the contents of her stomach. She'd always had a tendency towards motion sickness and boats affected her the worst. Will knew this and tried to keep her distracted by telling her about the various older legends of the Gates family, dating from before the Templar Treasure.

Jane sat on the port side of the boat, gazing intently out at the water. Abe sat down beside her, rubbing her back lightly. "What are you looking at?"

"I think we have company." She pointed out over the water. "Does that look like a turtle?"

"We're not in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, dear," Abe reminded her, looking out over the water anyway.

"I wasn't hinting that at all, silly." She cuffed his shoulder. "I really think that's a turtle."

"Do you know if anyone brought binoculars?" Abe asked, squinting. "We'd be able to tell then."

Jane shrugged and leaned against Abe. "I don't really care. I just like being out here on the waves."

"I know what you mean." He smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

They sat quietly together, watching the water speed by.

***

They reached the Dominican Republic by early afternoon and spent the rest of the day settling into their hotel rooms and exploring the city. Abigail found her husband seated on their bed, staring at something in his hands. "Ben? Are you okay?"

"No," he answered in a low voice, not even lifting his head.

Concerned, she knelt on the bed behind him and peered over his shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw what he was holding: the antique pocket watch Patrick had always carried with him on his trips, with locks of Ben and Emily's hair inside as a way of keeping them with him no matter where he went. Abigail wrapped her arms around her husband's shoulders, kissing his cheek. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Yeah." Ben's voice broke on the single word. "Keeping busy has helped, but there are times when the grief is too much."

She carefully eased into his lap, kissing him softly. "It's all right, Ben. We've focused so much on how much Emily must be missing him, but we seem to have forgotten that he was your father."

He wrapped his arms around Abigail, holding her close and burying his face in her shoulder. "I wish he could be here for this find. He put so much time and effort into this hunt. It's not fair that he's not here for the very end of it."

"He's with us in our hearts," she reminded him, stroking his hair soothingly, knowing quite well how much he liked that. "And I know Emily keeps a lock of his hair in her locket along with that family portrait of us."

Ben nodded, lifting his head so he could kiss his sweetheart, grateful for her understanding and comfort.

***

Riley and Jacob worked together to find out exactly where the Lafitte house was located. A ramshackle little affair, they approached it with caution, wondering where, exactly, they were meant to find the treasure. It was Riley who pointed out the obvious: "All of the other treasure has been below ground. Why should it be any different this time around?"

"Good point, Dad!" Jane grinned and started off around house.

Jacqui was too quick and caught her daughter's arm. "We'll go _together_, Jane."

Mother and daughter stared at each other for a long moment before Jane reluctantly nodded. Jacqui released her daughter and the group started walking around the dilapidated structure until they reached a pair of doors set into the ground. As they stared down at them, Riley asked, "Am I the only one thinking of _The Wizard of Oz_ here?"

"I'm thinking it, too, Riley," Jacqui agreed, slipping her arm around her husband's waist.

"Oh, good, I'm not crazy, then." Riley grinned and kissed her cheek.

William and Meri chose that point to pull the doors open, revealing a gaping black hole in the ground. Jane asked the question on all their minds, "Who wants to go down the creepy black hole first?"

"I will," Nadya volunteered, pulling a flashlight out of her backpack. "I'm the one who'll know if it's safe down there."

Jacob caught her arm when she was about to step inside, turning her around and pulling her into a warm kiss. Jamie made a face, still young enough to be vaguely grossed out. When Jacob released his wife, he murmured softly, "Be careful."

"I promise." She caressed his cheek then turned to go down into the hole. They stood around for what seemed like a small eternity, but was really only a few moments when Nadya reappeared. "It's sound. I found some steps that seem promising."

Intrigued, they proceeded down the stairs after her, multiple flashlight beams cutting through the darkness. Nadya led them over to a set of rough-hewn steps. Ben led the way down them with the others close behind him. The steps lead into a tunnel, which stopped at a large stone door with a riddle inscribed on it. As Ben lifted the only lamp high, Emily read the riddle aloud: "_Kindness and Respect are required / Trust and Loyalty are earned._" She frowned. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"I don't know, Mom, but it looks like it's a dead end after all." Ben had handed his lamp to Abigail so he could run his hands over the door, finding a hole that was too large and round to be a keyhole. "There's no way forward."

Emily continued to stare at the door as the others started back down the tunnel. Charlotte stood by her grandmother, repeating the riddle in her head. Suddenly her eyes widened as the answer hit her. "Wait! Grandpa's letter!"

"What is it?" Emily watched as Charlotte swung her pack off her back and started rummaging through it. "What about Grandpa's letter?"

Charlotte grinned when she produced the gold thimble that had been in the jar with the letter. "He included this for a reason."

"A gold thimble?" Will asked, peering over his sister's shoulder at it. "What does that have to do with this stone door?"

At a nod from Charlotte, Ben picked it up and examined it. "Once, when Jean Lafitte had divided his treasure with his lieutenants, two gold coins remained unclaimed on his desk. He turned to the wife of one of the men and said the two coins were hers. But, her husband reached out and grabbed them, saying he would 'hold them for her.'" Emily and Abigail rolled their eyes at this. Ben nodded, smiling wryly. "Lafitte stood up, his eyes dark with anger, and requested that his lieutenant return the coins to him, which he did. Lafitte then turned to his blacksmith and told him to create a gold thimble from those two coins."

"How do we know it's the thimble that Charlie has?" William asked as his twin took the thimble back and walked over to the door.

Emily answered that question. "Because it was passed down through the family until they died out and Patrick bought it at an auction."

"Are you sure, Mom?" Ben asked, turning to her.

She nodded. "Yes, I found the receipt among his papers after Charlie found the letter and the thimble."

"Okay, everyone, cross your fingers!" Charlie announced and carefully poked the thimble into the hole in the door. After a breathless moment, the door slowly opened with a groan, revealing a room stacked high with bars of gold that glinted in the light of their flashlights. Charlotte's eyes were shining when she looked back at her grandmother. "We did it, Grandma."

"Yes, we did, Charlie." Emily moved forward to join her granddaughter and hugged her tightly, whispering for her ears alone, "Your grandfather would be so proud of you!"

Moving slowly, they entered the room, as if to reassure themselves that the gold was really there. The others followed, with Jane and Abe bringing up the rear. They stopped in the middle of the room and turned to each other, eyes shining with delight. Without warning, Jane threw herself at Abe and kissed him soundly. He caught her and returned the kiss after a moment of surprise. He stared at her in bemusement when she finally pulled back, "Any particular reason for that?"

"I just wanted to," Jane answered with a grin, scrunching her nose when he kissed the tip of her nose. Softly, she added, "I love you, Abraham Lincoln Gates."

He grinned, delighted, and picked her up to swing her around a circle, whooping. "It's about time, Jane Grey Poole."

"You know me," she answered with a lop-sided grin. "I always have to wait for the opportune moment."

The others laughed as Abe pulled her into another kiss, this one sweet and tender. Glancing around, Emily noticed that Meri and Charlotte were sharing a tender moment of their own, as were William and Emily Anne. Smiling to herself, she mused that she wouldn't have wanted to miss this for anything.

**End Chapter**

A/N: The story about the thimble is true. That family is still alive and in possession of the thimble.


	18. Treasures of Eternal Love

**18. Treasures of Eternal Love**

**Epilogue I**

"We did it, sweetheart," Abigail murmured, her arms draped around Ben's waist as she stood behind him in the study. She tightened her embrace ever so gently, just a little reminder that she was there. Ben smiled serenely, covering her hands in one of his own.

"I wish he could have been here to see it," Ben whispered. "The museum exhibit was amazing."

"I was there," Abigail replied with a smile. She slipped around to face him and Ben pulled her into another lingering hug. "How's your mom?" Ben smiled. No one at the opening had shined brighter than Emily, so proud that she had been able to help bring closure not just to the legend of the gold of Jean Lafitte, but to her husband's final treasure hunt. They were home in Maryland now and the sun was setting slowly on the horizon.

"She's tired, like the rest of us, but she's okay," Ben replied. "There were times when I thought she was ready to give up, but when we got to the treasure she just lit up…Dad would be so proud of her."

"I'm sure he is," Abigail said soothingly. "Wherever he is—I'm sure he's proud of you, too." Ben slid his hand through Abigail's silken hair and tenderly kissed her. It was good to be home.

Upstairs, Emily tucked the last of her clean laundry into the dresser drawers. She was glad that they were home. The week spent in interviews and museum openings and paperwork of all kinds had been exciting, but there's a certain point when a person just needs to sleep in their own bed, a comfort that Emily was more than ready to take advantage of. Emily changed into her nightgown and wrapped Patrick's old robe around her before donning warm slippers and taking a deep breath of the soft material of the robe before sitting down with a book to read. It seemed not to matter how many times she washed the robe, it still managed to smell like Patrick, and having that familiarity made her feel that much better. Half an hour passed before there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Emily replied. Ben's smiling face greeted her when she looked up from her book.

"Hi, mom. Abigail and I are going to turn in. Can we do anything for you before we crash for the night?" Ben asked. He had emerged into the room and crossed to her to see what she was reading. He crouched next to Emily's rocking chair and put his hand over hers. She smiled but could only shake her head in reply. Ben nodded his understanding and patted her hand as he stood and then kissed the top of her head.

"Good night, mom," Ben said. He started for the door and then stopped short when Emily finally spoke.

"I love you, Benjamin," she said. Ben knew that his mother loved him, but it had always been more through her actions that in actual words. He turned, returned to kneel by the rocking chair and pulled her into a warm hug.

"I love you, too, mom," Ben murmured, holding her tight for a moment before letting her resume her seat. "Thank you for coming with us. It meant a lot to all of us."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world, sweetheart," Emily said, stroking his face.

"Good night, mom," Ben said, standing again, and leaving the room, softly closing the door behind him.

An hour later, Emily could hardly keep her eyes open to read her book. Setting it on the little table near the rocker, she shut off the lamp and slipped Patrick's robe from her shoulders, taking one more deep breath in its collar before laying it across the foot of the bed. She sighed as she removed her glasses and watch, and snuggled in beneath the covers. She shut off the bedside lamp and then took another deep breath before drifting off to sleep.

Emily groggily opened her eyes to morning sunshine streaming though familiar windows. The bed was piled with warm blankets and she felt far too snug to consider getting up. She rolled from her left side to her back to cuddle against the source of heat beside her, inadvertently startling both herself and her bed partner. Only when both were sitting upright in bed did it register who she was looking at. She seemed to lose the breath in her chest and her eyes were welling with tears when he spoke in the tenderest, most stunned of whispers, "Emily?"

"It can't be," Emily wept hoarsely. "I'm dreaming—I must be dreaming…" He reached to touch her face, caressing her cheek and brushing her tears with his thumb. Emily clutched his hand to her face and the pent up sob inside her broke free.

"Patrick!" she sobbed. He pulled her to him tightly, just as he had the day she almost fell from the roof trying to hang the Christmas lights—the story she had refused to tell their grandchildren—and rocked her in his arms. "I must be dreaming!" she wept again.

"Shhh…oh, no…oh, my Emily…no, my darling, you're not dreaming," Patrick's voice resonated as she rested her head against his chest.

"But you're…I haven't slept in this bed in months…you…I…" Emily gave up trying to form a complete sentence when a thought washed over her. There was only one way that she could possibly be where she was right now. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she looked up into Patrick's blue eyes.

"I've been waiting for you, Em. Oh, how I've missed you!" he said, hugging her and rocking a bit again. "I know you found it. You found the treasure—you and Ben—didn't you?" Emily nodded, still wrapping her mind around where she was.

"I'm…"

"Yes," Patrick said gently. "Yes, you are."

"Oh, poor Ben!" Emily whimpered. "And Abigail and the kids…they're all getting married, Patrick! All of our grandchildren are getting married and I won't be there!"

"Oh, angel, you will be. We both will. You'll see," he said, stroking her back in soothing circles. "I love you so much, Emily. I love you."

"Oh, Pat, I love you, too!" she replied, swallowing her tears before reaching up to kiss him. The kiss was slow, tender, and full of that comforting warmth that always reminded Emily how deeply he felt for her.

"Here, come back to bed. I want to hold you," Patrick murmured, pulling the blankets back up.

"What time is it?" Emily asked. Patrick smiled, the sun glinting off his glasses.

"Time means nothing here, honey. We can stay right here as long as we want, spend the day doing anything we want—explore, dance, make love till we drop and then do it all over again," Patrick explained. Emily closed her eyes as she relaxed back against the pillow. The sound of Patrick's voice was intoxicating and she wanted nothing more than to wrap herself in that sound and just be…forever. Patrick wrapped the blankets back around her and then secured her with his arm over her. He buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath and smiling as Emily giggled.

"I'm so glad you're here," Patrick murmured as they were drifting off again. "Now I really am in heaven!"

* * *

"You're going to have to keep your head up, Abe. I can't help you with your tie when your chin is in the way," Jane said gently as she attempted to knot Abe's black necktie for him.

"I'm sorry," he half-whispered back. There was a sorrow in his eyes today that even Jane's steady love couldn't sooth away. He had gone upstairs to check and see if his Grandma was awake yet on that fateful morning a week and a half ago, thinking that she had simply overslept. He knocked, and when he opened the door and saw her still in bed, he'd smiled. She'd always slept hard. But after calling her name and shaking her shoulder and still not getting a response, sudden fear drained all the feeling from his body and he just sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, covered her cool hand with his and swallowed hard as tears fell from his eyes. A second later, he rose, kissed her forehead and wept.

"Grandpa's waiting for you," Abe had whispered. He vaguely remembered stumbling back down the hall as his father was on his way up to see what was wrong, catching his youngest son in a hug and holding him as he cried. Sometime after that, his memories lapsed and he lost a whole week, he and his siblings and parents, not to mention the Pooles and Bonners, all mourning the loss of the family matriarch. Now Jane was putting him together because he couldn't make his fingers work anything more complicated than buttons and even that was a challenge. All of Emily's sons and grandsons, (she included Riley, Jacob, Meri and Jamie in these) would be her pall bearers today and at the moment, none of them were very steady on their feet.

Ben made it to the podium to read the eulogy, albeit slowly and not without pausing to compose himself, but he did it. Emily Anne played the piano for the service and all of the girls sang a song they had picked out from Grandma Em's favorite musical.

"_It well may be  
That we will never meet again  
In this lifetime  
So let me say before we part  
So much of me  
Is made of what I learned from you  
You'll be with me  
Like a handprint on my heart  
And now whatever way our stories end  
I know you have re-written mine  
By being my friend..._

Like a ship blown from its mooring  
By a wind off the sea  
Like a seed dropped by a skybird  
In a distant wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
But because I knew you  
Because I knew you  
I have been changed for good!"

When it came time to lower Emily's coffin into the ground, all ten children knelt in a graceful half-circle, bowing their heads to their mentor, their cheerleader, their grandmother. Grandpa Patrick had even once called her his "Grail Queen", after the fashion of the Temple Knights that he had knighted them to be.

"Can all of us stay here tonight, Uncle Ben?" Cris said, looking up at him from the sofa with red-rimmed, puffy eyes. Ben sat slowly on the sofa next to her and wrapped his arm around her for a moment.

"I don't know what any of us would do at home," Mary mumbled, hugging her arms around herself.

"We don't want to impose, girls," Riley said, coming to the sofa. Without a word, Cris took another breath and started to cry anew. Riley knelt in front of the sofa and eased his oldest daughter into his arms.

"I just can't believe it, dad," Cris wept.

"I know, Cristina…I know, baby," Riley said as he held her.

"You can all stay if you like," said Abigail, smoothing her skirt as she took up the last bit of the sofa beside Ben. "It's no trouble." It was plain that Abigail had been crying as well, and that it was taking all the distraction she could manage to find to keep from crying again.

The Pooles and Bonners were all that remained besides that Gates' themselves an hour later. The evening was wearing on now, and the struggle was on again for Riley and Jacqui and Jacob and Nadya to decide if they were staying or going home.

"We can make sure the kids get home in the morning if you like," Abigail offered graciously.

"You've already got so much to deal with, Abigail," Jacqui said.

"We don't want to put more on you," Nadya added.

"They're not any trouble," Ben said softly. "We don't mind. You're welcome to a guest room yourselves, you know."

"We know, Ben. Thanks," Jacob replied.

"Why don't we at least go home and get changed and then if you kids want to come back and be here for the night, then you can, okay?" Jacqui said diplomatically. There was general agreement and the group dispersed.

When the teens all returned an hour later, Will, Charlie, and Abe were waiting for them. A couple of hours later would find all of them curled up in the rec room, a movie playing that none of them would remember watching in the morning.

"What are we going to do without Grandma Em?" Jane said, breaking the silence when the movie ended.

"What do you mean, Janie?" asked Abe.

"She was like our driving force," Jamie added from where he sat cross-legged on the floor. "It was Grandpa Patrick's treasure hunts that we've grown up with. When he died, Grandma Em kept us going. We're just drifting now…" Meri leaned down from where he sat on the long sectional sofa and squeezed his little brother's shoulder affectionately.

"We're all still reeling from this, maybe we shouldn't plan another treasure hunt just yet," Charlotte said.

"I was thinking just the opposite," said a voice from the stairs. Ben and Abigail were coming to join them bearing a bowl of popcorn the size of a 25 pound watermelon, and a large, antique looking book. The kids looked at them hesitantly for a moment and then, slowly, one small grin at a time, they nodded and Ben smiled as he sat down with them and opened the book while Abigail passed the popcorn.

**End Chapter**


	19. New Treasures

**19. New Treasures**

**E****pilogue II**

Several weeks after the funeral found Abe sitting on his grandmother's bed, his grandfather's robe pressed against his cheek, remembering how much it had comforted his grandmother to be wrapped up in it. _"When I'm wearing his robe, it feels like he's holding me."_

As he carefully smoothed the robe, he felt something in one of the pockets. Curious, he carefully pulled it out. It was an envelope, made of delicate parchment and sealed with the Gates family crest. On the front, in Emily's smooth, delicate writing, were his, Charlotte, and Will's names. His heart thudding in his chest, Abe checked the other pocket and found another parchment envelope, this time addressed to his parents.

His throat thick with emotion, the youngest Gates carefully returned the robe to the bed and left the room in search of the rest of the family. He found his brother and sister in the rec room, playing chess. Dragging a chair over to join theirs, he announced baldly, "I found a letter for us from Grandma."

"I beg your pardon?" William glanced at his brother, surprised. "How do you know it's from Grandma?"

"It's her handwriting on the envelope," Abe explained, showing it to his older brother.

"Read it aloud, then." Charlotte urged, turning and leaning towards her younger brother.

Abe carefully broke the seal and unfolded the paper. Tears stung his eyes when he saw his grandmother's neat handwriting filling the page. Clearing his throat, he read her words aloud:

_Charlie, Will, and Abe,_

_If you're reading this, then I have passed away. I know it would be ridiculous to ask you not to mourn, so I only ask that you remember that there is so much life left for you three to live. Don't waste it. Cherish your relationships with Meri, Emily Anne, and Jane. Those are much more valuable than any amount of gold and jewels you'd find on a treasure hunt. Though I doubt you'll forget that anytime soon, with the examples of your parents, aunts and uncles. Never forget how proud you make us. I love you all and I'd rather not leave you, but it is the debt that all men, and women, pay. Take good care of yourselves and each other. I love you very much._

_All my love,_

_Grandma Em_

All three siblings were sniffling by the time Abe finished. "_That's_ what she was writing."

"What do you mean, Char?" William asked his twin, very curious.

Making a face over the nickname, she explained, "I gave Grandma that letter from Grandpa that we'd found and let her have some privacy to read it. When I got back, she was writing a letter. When I asked her about it, she said it was something that had to be read later. I think she was writing that letter."

"And this one." Abe held up the other letter he'd found. "It's for Mom and Dad."

"What's for us?" Ben asked from the doorway.

His three children turned from the abandoned chess game to see their parents standing side-by-side. Losing Emily had been difficult for Ben. There had been times when he wasn't sure he could carry on, but then Abigail would be there and he'd _know_ he could carry on. Getting up, Abe walked over and offered the letter to his father. "I found this letter in Grandma's room. It's addressed to you and Mom."

"Indeed?" Ben took the envelope and examined it carefully with Abigail peering over his shoulder. He glanced at his wife and she nodded. Carefully breaking the seal, he unfolded the letter and read it aloud:

_Ben and Abigail,_

_If you are reading this, then it means I have passed away. I'd tell you not to mourn, but I know better than that. Yes, it is all right to mourn, but remember that I am with my Pat now. I am truly happy. You don't know how proud I am of you both that you stayed married. That was always a fear of mine: that you wouldn't stay together. It proved to be unfounded and I'm so glad. I love you both very much. I couldn't have asked for a better son and daughter-in-law. Take good care of yourselves and your children. Remember that I will always be in your hearts._

_All my love,_

_Emily Jane Appleton Gates_

Abigail was openly crying by the time her husband finished. "She knows us too well."

"No, she realizes that it's natural for us to mourn," Ben answered, turning and gathering Abigail into his arms.

Moments later, their children had surrounded them, tears streaming down their cheeks as well. Together, the five of them stood and comforted each other as they mourned the loss of the family matriarch.

***

A couple years later, a few weeks after she and Abe had graduated high school, Jane arrived at the Gates family home to see Abe. "You're the third one to come by today, Janie," Ben commented as he let her in. "He's out back somewhere."

"Thanks, Uncle Ben." Jane smiled and gave him a hug. Ben had settled in well as the family patriarch and all of the 'children' loved him even more.

He returned the hug with a smile. Jane, Emily Anne, and Meri were special to him because they were so close to his own children, but he still adored his other adopted nieces and nephews. "Go on. He'll be more than happy to see you."

"I know." Jane grinned and trotted through the house and out to the backyard. She found Abe sitting by the koi pond, tossing breadcrumbs for the fish.

He smiled when she sat down beside him and took a handful of crumbs to toss for the fish. "Hi, Jane. I thought you had plans for today?"

"I did, and it turns out that they include you," she replied, clasping her hands together in her lap.

Abe raised an eyebrow and set the bag of crumbs aside, turning to face her. "How can your plans _not_ include me, and _then_ include me?"

"I'd been feeling sick to my stomach for the past week or so," Jane explained, not quite meeting his eyes. "So I went to the doctor and, well, I'm pregnant."

***

"You're what?" William, walking with Emily Anne through the hedge maze, stopped and stared at her.

She gave him an exasperated look. "You heard me, William Clark Gates: I'm pregnant."

***

"It was just the one time," Meri replied, staring helplessly at Charlotte as they swam together in the pool. "We were so careful otherwise."

Charlotte folded her arms across her chest even as she treaded water. "Once is all it takes if the timing is right."

***

"Good point." Abe sighed and ran his hand through his curls. "So what do you want to do?"

Smiling softly, Jane held up the hand with her promise ring, "We'll just get married sooner than we originally planned."

"You're sure? You'll be the most affected by this," Abe gazed steadily into her eyes.

She nodded, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "I love you, Abe, and I will _always_ want to be with you."

***

"This isn't exactly how I wanted this to happen, Will, but I _want_ to share my life with you," Emily Anne reached up to cup his cheek, smiling tenderly.

William smiled and kissed the palm of her hand. "Okay. We'll go buy you an engagement ring as soon as we can."

***

"Why not now?" Charlotte suggested with a mischievous smile. "We don't have any other plans for today."

Meri grinned and pulled her close for a soft kiss. "I like the way you think."

***

Ben and Abigail exchanged glances as they watched their children leave the house one-by-one, accompanied by their boyfriend or girlfriend. "Why do I feel like I should be worried?"

"Because all three boys have the same looks on their faces that you had right after I told I was pregnant with Will and Charlie," Abigail told him with a wry grin.

He blinked and stared at her for a long moment. "No, no, that can't be it."

"Just watch, Benjamin Franklin Gates." Abigail told him with a smirk. "All three of those ladies will be wearing engagement rings by the end of the day."

Ben found a chair and sat down heavily. "They're so young."

"They've grown up together, Ben," she reminded him, sitting in his lap and kissing the top of his head. "We were a bit of an exception."

He wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close. "I hope it works out better for them than it did for my parents."

"Knowing those six, it will."

**THE END**


End file.
